FAYETTEVILLE — The sports sector of social media in 2024 can be a gateway to sadness. Trolls and anonymous arguments fill feeds and generate engagement that isn’t healthy for athletes, coaches and fans alike.
But just last week, two Arkansas Razorbacks supporters decided to use their platforms and the power of social media to bring for good and provide a boost for a state in need.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, users @RealWildhog and @Its_Harristotle started a third-party campaign through the Arkansas Foodbank titled “Hogs against Hunger.” The goal of the campaign was to raise $1,000 online before an in-person fundraising event at the TGI Fridays in Conway on July 11.
More: Arkansas football positional previews: Wide receiver Tyrone Broden poised for big leap
More: Arkansas baseball lands transfer outfielder who was top seven in the country in doubles
Hogs against Hunger surpassed its $ 1,000 goal in the first hour and has raised $2,891.70 as of Tuesday afternoon.
“Social media is often such a negative force, but it doesn’t have to be,” RealWildhog said. “We can do so much good if we all work together and laser-focus our efforts on issues. We have a built-in community of people of all walks of life that have a shared passion for the Arkansas Razorbacks. That can be a powerful weapon to attack the issues in our state.”
RealWildhog and Its_Harristotle are both proud members of “Arkansas Twitter” with 11,378 combined followers on X. Both fans asked to be referenced by their social media usernames in this story to maintain their online anonymity and keep the spotlight on the overall campaign instead of two individuals.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Arkansas has the highest level of food insecurity of any state in the country. Community Development Coordinator at Arkansas Foodbank Claire Tiffin told the Southwest Times Record that recently received data shows that 25% of children in the state are food insecure.
That statistic hit like a brick for the Hogs against Hunger organizers.
“I’ve been a teacher for 12 years at all Title I schools,” Its_Harristotle said. “I pass out the food bags. I have the parents ask for extra assistance. I’ve been a parent facilitator. I know that a lot of my students that leave, you know, I’ll stuff their backpacks with my own stuff that I buy. But I know some of my students leave and they won’t eat again until they come back, and I can’t imagine what the summer’s like for them.”
With the dire state of food insecurity in mind, Its_Harristotle and RealWildhog reached out to multiple organizations before officially teaming up with the Arkansas Foodbank.
For every dollar raised, the Arkansas Foodbank can provide five meals because it purchases food in bulk and has a community of volunteers who are able to collect and organize the food into standard serving sizes.
The $2,871.60 amounts to 14,358 meals.
“When it comes to this campaign, we’ve never had anything like this on Twitter,” Tiffin said. “I think it was just unexpected from our end. It happened so quickly, and so many accounts started talking about it.
“As far as fundraising goes, hitting goal within an hour is crazy. No matter what you’re fundraising for, that’s very exciting.”
The credit lies with a rabid Arkansas fanbase. Razorback supporters will ruthlessly debate the status of their head coaches or what went wrong in what was a disappointing academic year for the three biggest sports.
But at the end of the day, “Arkansas Twitter” knows when it needs to rally behind each other.
“We certainly have our internal spats at times, but there’s also that sense of brotherhood,” RealWildhog said. “When one of ours is attacked, we’re all coming at them. It’s almost like, you can’t pick on him. Only we can pick on him. Somehow, the group has come together.”
The campaign will wrap up in July at the TGI Fridays event, where Its_Harristotle and RealWildhog will sell plates for $25. They’ve already crushed the original goal, and they plan on organizing other fundraisers in the coming months for pressing issues in the state.
The new challenge is to now see just how high they can go.
“We may lose followers with how much we’re gonna push this thing,” Its_Harristotle said. “I don’t care. I’m just super excited about it.”
Anyone interested in donating to Hogs Against Hunger can do so here.
Source link
