The Knoxville High girls basketball team will be off the court and on the streets this coming Saturday, as they collect food and personal care items for the newly-opened Panther Food Pantry.

Players will be visiting local homes between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on December 15th; those who make arrangements ahead of time will have players stop at their homes to pick up donated items.

The team agreed to the collection as part of the Iowa Hall of Pride scrimmage they played in last month at Ottumwa; the agreement with the Hall requires the participating teams to do a community service project.

Heach Coach Jim Uitermarkt tells KNIA/KRLS News he knew the girls wouldn’t need much convincing, thanks to their yearly support for Coaches vs. Cancer.

“We have a history as a team of supporting that event, and then when I brought up the food drive we talked about…we’re going to donate to our high school food pantry,” Uitermarkt says. “They’re going to be directly helping some of their classmates and their families, and so that hits pretty close to home as well.

“They’re really eager to help those that are in need, and this is just one more way we can do it.”

It will be a busy morning for the team; they’ll gather for breakfast, then head to Motor Inn to receive a donation for Coaches vs. Cancer; after that they’ll spread out around town to pick up the donated items, and bring them back for distribution in the pantry.

Anyone wishing to give should contact Jim Uitermarkt at Knoxville Middle School, or Angie Uitermarkt at Northstar Elementary.