Thank You, IGBO Leagues! You Made a Difference!
The 2025 Food Donation Drive was a tremendous success thanks to the generosity of IGBO leagues everywhere. From coast to coast, bowlers rallied together to support food banks and pantries in their local communities—donating goods, raising funds, and sharing incredible stories of kindness.
Scroll below to see how each league contributed to this year’s effort. We are grateful for every act of giving.
Below are Leagues starting with A through M.
470 Scratch Daytime Travel
Benefiting: ONEgeneration
Our league president, Patti DiLuigi and myself, Pam as IGBO Rep delivered 6 boxes of food to ONEgeneration food bank where Jonathan as manager was so kind and helpful. We also got to meet with Sue who is the director of Development and Marketing. The next day, they were to give out Turkeys and food to 100 people who are suffering from food insecurity. They were so grateful for our league donation. We also took some pictures and they will be posting them on their website.
Asheville Pride Bowling Organization
Benefiting: Loving Food Resources
One of our bowlers suggested that we bring in a bag or two of non-perishable food each week this month. I challenged the league with his request and was overwhelmed with the response. We manage to make all this happen while our fearless leader Mark Holmes is out of commission dealing with a personal injury. I don’t know why I was surprised as these amazing bowlers were the reason we presented LFR with a check from $7500 just last month. That bounty was the result of our 50/50 strike pot our bowlers participate in each week. We are honored to be part of the larger IGBO organization that encourages us to have a good time and give back to our community.
B.T.I. Sunday Mixed League
Benefiting: Ruth Ellis Center
BTI Sunday Mixed League proudly supported the Ruth Ellis Center’s Food Pantry, extending their donation drive through December 21 to gather additional food, toiletries, and warm winter clothing for those in need. The league’s continued commitment helps ensure that LGBTQ+ youth in Metro Detroit have access to essential resources, care, and safety.
The Ruth Ellis Center provides a wide range of life-changing services—including housing, medical care, mental health support, and community programs—for LGBTQ+ young people. To learn more about their mission or explore ways to get involved, please visit the Ruth Ellis Center website: Ruth Ellis Center
Their generosity reflects the league’s heartfelt dedication to uplifting their community.
Beantown North
Benefiting: Bread of Life
Bread of Life is a nonprofit, nondenominational, faith-based food security organization based in Malden, MA that provides over 1.5 million pounds of free food a year for economically struggling and disadvantaged families, individuals, youth and senior citizens in the North metro Boston area.Bread of Life does not discriminate with regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual preference, gender preference, age, disability, or veteran’s status, and complies with all requirements of law and regulations with respect to employment, volunteer participation and the provision of services.
Bread of Life is committed to building an inclusive and equitable organizational culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees, volunteers and those we serve. This fuels our innovation and responsiveness to community needs, and connects us more closely to diverse communities within the cities we serve.
Beantown South
Benefiting: Pine Street inn
As part of the Boston Community, the Beantown South Bowling League is proud to donate food to the Pine Street Inn who plan on feeding over 2000 people during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The Pine Street Inn was founded in 1969, is Boston-based and is New England’s largest homeless services provider. Their goal is to end homelessness by moving individuals beyond the streets and shelter, making the safety and stability of a home and community a reality for all.
Bear Bowl Invitational
Benefiting: The Poverello Center, Inc.
We will be doing the Food Drive on December 14th for Poverello whose vision is to ensure that everyone in our community experiences the full health benefits of high quality, nutritious food, regular exercise, and accessible healthcare.
CARA Sunday Night
Benefiting: ALIVE!
Being part of the Alexandria community, CARA Sunday Night picked ALIVE! as our food bank to donate to. Their mission is to alleviate the suffering caused by poverty and to dramatically improve the lives of those in need in the City of Alexandria. Through faith and love, to help people faced with emergency situations or long-term needs become capable of assuming self-reliant roles in the community. As a league, we were able to donate 451 lbs of food to help our community!
CT Pride Bowlers
Benefiting: Master's Manna
CT Pride Bowlers is a small league with only 33 members. Even though with our small amount of bowlers we collected 200lbs of food for Master’s Manna.
Master’s Manna is a food pantry and clothes closet outgrowing 2 of their previous locations and serving over thousands of families from their inception in 2006.
Chicago Pride League
Benefiting: Care for Real
Chicago Pride League generously gave an entire SUV full of food as well as a monetary donation of $1415.00.
Country lanes Thursday Night Mixed
Benefiting: Golden Grizzlies Pantry
This on-campus pantry supports the Oakland University student, staff, and alumni population. College students of all ages experience food insecurity at almost twice the national average, but few programs are addressing their needs. Their generosity reflects the league’s heartfelt dedication to uplifting their community.
desert pride strikers and monday fun handicap
Benefiting: The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert
Last year during our PSDIC tournament we offered the bowlers an opportunity to donate food to our local food bank. They were generous, but it could have been better. So this year we had The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert as one of our non-profits to sell raffle tickets during our tournament. They raised $1,400 during PSDIC and $400 specifically for the food bank. So now with IGBO’s partnership we are extending the outreach to our two (2) local IGBO leagues. The Monday Fun Handicap and Desert Pride Strikers on Thursday. Both leagues are bringing food in for donation and we are also donating 50% of all the sales to the food drive. Our local community is so generous and especially now with so many families in need due to the government shut down, we love doing our part to support.
eastside out bowling
Benefiting: Swannanoa Communities Together
This was a community that started a grass roots food bank and grew into an organization that helps multiple communities in the Swannanoa area. With the recent natural disasters that have impacted the area and SNAP benefits being withheld they are more relied on than ever.
FRIENDSHIP LEAGUE
Benefiting: Newington Human Services
We were only able to hold the food drive one evening during our normal league play but we still were able to collect over 140 pounds along with $40 in cash donations. The Food Bank in Newington, CT was the receiver of our collection and when Donald Beach the league’s IGBO rep and bowler Amanda Rose Searle delivered, the donations, the Director was super grateful when we delivered it all. We collected everything literally from soup to nuts, as well as pastas, vegetables, fruits, applesauce and so much more.
First Coast Freedom League
Benefiting: Northeast Florida AIDS Network
Your donation will provide services and support to help reduce the suffering of people living with HIV/AIDS. NFAN is a federally approved 501c(3) not-for-profit corporation. Your contribution is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Friday Night Club
Benefiting: Harvesters Community Food Network
The Friday Night Club only had one opportunity to collect since we are an every other week league, but we collected 462 pounds. I have almost $150 to go spend next weekend for more (my car was full and I couldn’t fit anything else.)
Friday Night GBL
Benefiting: Johnson County Human Services
Johnson County offers a community partnership food pantry that serves our local community. These services and opportunities primarily target older adults, people with disabilities, low-income families and other residents who require assistance.
Friday Night OUT Bowling League
Benefiting: Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore
Friday Night OUT Bowling League and Mermaid Classic Bowling Tournament hold food drives throughout the year at league and at tournament fundraisers. The foodbank is a beneficiary of an annual donation from the Mermaid Classic tournament.
Friday Night Trios OC
Benefiting: LGBTQ Center OC
We decided to donate to the LGBTQ Center OC, they provide services for our community and provide a food bank for those who find themselves food insecure.
The LGBTQ Center OC was established as a volunteer organization in 1971 and incorporated in 1975 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit community-based organization. We are one of the oldest gay and lesbian community centers in the United States. Their generosity reflects the league’s heartfelt dedication to uplifting their community.
GALA Bowling League
Benefiting: AIDS Care Ocean State
This is something we do every year, so we’re happy that IGBO is getting involved!
GSGBO
Benefiting: EDGE NJ
EDGE NJ has been out charity of focus for the last couple years. They serve the HIV and LGBTQ communities by dismantling discrimination and promoting healthcare equity.
We donated $600 in food gift cards, $300 in cash and bags of food!
Grand Rapids Sunday
Benefiting: North Kent Connect
North Kent Connect is the one-stop resource hub in rural northern Kent County, providing food, clothing, financial assistance for housing and utilities, training and education, and offering resources for a pathway out of poverty.
Jansrainbow League
Benefiting: MCC Food Pantry
Jansrainbow League supported MCC Food Pantry with donations for this year’s drive.
LAMBDA - Dallas
Benefiting: Resource Center-Nelson-Tebedo
This league will be collecting their donations on December 9 and will report back later.
LIPSA TNT
Benefiting: Island Harvest
Island Harvest has over 300 local food pantries, soup kitchens, and community programs to help Long Islanders. We thought it would be best to give back to this incredible organization. Bowlers had the opportunity to donate and have done an amazing job of filling the donation box twice in 2 weeks!
Metro Detroit Friday Night Mixed League
Benefiting: Gladys Dixon Food Bank
MDFNM collected food donations for the Gladys Dixon Food bank which is run out of the church of one of our bowlers.
Monday Mixed Classic (Tampa)
Benefiting: MCC Tampa
What a Joy! Our donations were dropped off on Wednesday just prior to the food pantry opening to the public! Volunteers were thrilled with our donations and were very grateful!
Monday night fourplay
Benefiting: Long Island Cares
Long Island Cares ensures that no one on Long Island goes hungry this holiday season. Our league has had a donation box ready for the past 2 weeks, and it’s been filled!
