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Western Illinois basketball coach Derek Thomas collected $691.55 worth of groceries for the Loaves and Fishes charity organization.

Thomas, Crane grocery shop for Loaves and Fishes

By: Western Illinois University Athletic Media Services

Posted: 2/9/07

Western Illinois basketball coaches Leslie Crane and Derek Thomas raced through the aisles of Hy-Vee on Tuesday, Feb. 6 as part of "Food Check-Out Week" being celebrated by McDonough Country Farm Bureau.

The coaches were given two minutes to grab as many non-perishable food items as possible, with the assistance of the rest of the women's basketball staff as empty cart holders.

Coach Thomas ended the race with a total of $691.55, while coach Crane finished the spree with $589.34 in groceries.

"This is kind of fun," Thomas said. "It's a great idea and I'm glad to help out. Hopefully a lot of people will be able to benefit from it."

"It's fun and it's for a good cause," Crane said. "It's also a good way to get a sprint work done at 9 a.m."

All items that were collected by Crane and Thomas were donated to Loaves and Fishes Etc., a local food pantry. Sally Roberts, a board member for Loaves and Fishes Etc., was on hand for the morning's events and was happy with the results.

"We give away about 2,500 items in a given month, and this will certainly help us," Roberts said.