Hokies for the Hungry

On the night of the drive, the band was split up into smaller instrumentation groups and divided among the numerous parking lots on campus. The pep bands played snippets of the school fight song and other “rah rah” tunes in order to get the fans excited for the game, and to attract attention to the drive. The flag corps members walked around with shopping carts to collect the canned goods. If a fan had a request for us to play the Hokie Pokie, a Blacksburg favorite, they had to “pay” a donation, and the pep bands were happy to oblige. Occasionally the groups would have to get creative, and sounds of “Happy Birthday,” unfortunately sung in voices (there is a reason we are all in a band), could be heard throughout the parking lots. After the drive is over, a few band members and the NLCF members helped load the truck to take the food to the Montgomery County Christmas Store and store the items on the shelves. By having a fully stocked store, citizens of Montgomery County can have enough food for the cold, southwest Virginia winter months.