Ahead of her jersey retirement, former University of Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark took time to thank the Iowa City community, gifting a $22,000 grant to four charities.
In the official website statement, The Caitlin Clark Foundation explained that the grants given to charities that inspired Clark during her time at the University of Iowa helped further their mission to uplift youth through education, nutrition and sports.
As one of the receiving charities, the Coralville Food Pantry gathered with 22 signs, dressed in black and gold and bustled with excitement. The Pantry’s community volunteers and staff members came together to film a special gratitude video for the Caitlin Clark Foundation’s big donation.
Clark, who has previously collaborated with the Coralville Food Pantry with their 2022 Team Up Against Hunger fundraising, has made huge efforts to support the continuation of the food pantry. John Boller, the Coralville Food Pantry’s Executive Director, believes that this huge sum will be a game changer for food distribution and future community projects.
“Earlier this week, I heard from Caitlin Clark’s mom; she notified us of this amazing gift that they were going to give [the Pantry] $22,000. It’s a one-time gift, unrestricted. We can use it for whatever we need: whether it’s food personnel [or] future projects. It’s a game changer, for sure,” Boller said.
While Boller is optimistic and grateful for this generous donation, he believes that the Pantry will still need every community effort to keep providing food for Coralville.
“Just looking ahead at the coming years, it will be really challenging for the food pantry. The number of people we’re serving continues to climb, and people are facing so many challenges. The cost of food is going up, so [the donation] will be put to use pretty quickly,” Boller said.
While Clark is making big moves in the professional league as the Indiana Fever’s starting point guard, Iowans can rest assured that she hasn’t forgotten her small town. She continues to make positive contributions, and the community is grateful for her dedication. Along with the Coralville Food Pantry donation, $22,000 was also allocated to The University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, Boys and Girls Club of the Corridor and Special Olympics Iowa-East Central.
“To be chosen as one of four organizations that Caitlin selected is really special. We’ve made a mark on her, which is really meaningful because she brings us so much joy here in Coralville and beyond. So we’re just proud to be associated with 22, forever,” Boller said. “We’re so grateful to be a part of Caitlin’s story.”
