BYU podcast asks fans to donate to food bank near Penn State, prompting ‘amazing’ response
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- BYU podcast triggered 139 online donations totaling more than $4,700.
- Donations provided food for more than 200 people for an entire month.
- Viral X post reached over 140,000 views and prompted coordinated gifts.
Hours after BYU head coach Kalani Sitake reportedly turned down Penn State football’s top job Tuesday, some relieved BYU fans showed their goodwill by donating to a food bank near the Penn State campus.
Through Friday afternoon, BYU fans contributed nearly 200 donations totaling more than $8,000 to the State College Food Bank, according to its executive director. That’s enough for the food bank to feed more than 300 people for an entire month.
“A lot of the donations came with the nicest messages,” food bank executive director Allayn Beck said. “Sometimes sports can be divisive and people can get — well, you know — and not a single one was like, ‘We got ‘em back.’ They were all so positive and so kind.”
Tuesday doubled as “Giving Tuesday,” an annual global day of generosity, so the food bank also received additional donations from the local community. But Beck was able to filter out those from BYU through several ways. (Many gave the same amount of $30.17, for example, in reference to the teams’ last meeting in 1992 — a 30-17 BYU victory.)
Many of the messages enclosed with the online donations also hinted at the donors’ ties with the BYU Cougars. Among some of Beck’s favorites:
- “Stay fed. Go Cougs! May we meet again in battle someday.”
- “All love to Penn State and the local community here from BYU Nation.”
- “Thanks for letting us keep him!”
- “Good luck Penn State in your coaching search!”
- “BYU fan with a lot of respect for Penn State. Go Cougs. Go Penn State.”
- “We kept our coach, but genuinely hoping to spread some goodwill despite your loss. Love, BYU Fans.”
- “From a BYU fan. Hope PSU finds a great Head Coach!!”
The donation deluge started around 5 p.m. Tuesday and can largely be traced back to a BYU podcast called “Give ‘Em Hell, Brigham.” One listener apparently suggested the idea, and one of the hosts liked it so much he posted it to X — where it was viewed more than 140,000 times.
The co-host, Garrett McClintock, told the CDT he didn’t expect his tweet to go viral. But, he added, this isn’t out of character for BYU.
Back around 2019, McClintock said BYU started giving back to other communities during road games. When BYU traveled six weeks ago to Ames, Iowa, to take on Iowa State, for example, BYU alumni collected shoes, coats and blankets for an Ames area charity. BYU President C. Shane Reese also urged students and alumni to perform 150 hours of service to commemorate BYU’s 150th anniversary this year.
So, when one listener told McClintock that BYU should raise funds for the food bank nearest Penn State — “Beat ‘em and feed ‘em,” the listener said — it didn’t take much convincing for McClintock to agree.
“The response, overall, has been great,” McClintock said. “I’ve already interacted with a lot more Nittany Lions fans than I have my entire life.”
BYU fans made the donations in the wake of Penn State missing out on what was reportedly its top remaining head coaching target in Sitake, a Mormon coach who would’ve been virtually irreplaceable in Provo, Utah. In the days leading up to the decision, multiple outlets reported that BYU donors were attempting to make a final push to keep Sitake.
A number of Cougars fans pointed out that the Nittany Lions’ pursuit of Sitake might’ve very well strengthened their program. It forced BYU to loosen its purse strings to become even more competitive on the field.
It’s an entirely different story in Happy Valley, where Penn State fans have waited more 52 days to find out their new head coach. Beck laughed when asked if she wanted to weigh in on the coaching search. But she did want to share how grateful the food bank has been for the support.
The local community has come together to help the food bank before, most recently in the wake of paused benefits involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). But Beck has never before seen another community jumping in to help.
“If anything, I would hope that this is motivating and inspiring for others,” she added. “What’s happening right now is something I could’ve never imagined.”
How to donate to the State College Food Bank
Those interested in contributing to the State College Food Bank — whether it’s through funds, food or time — can find more information at SCFoodBank.org.
Those looking to donate money can do so directly at scfoodbank.org/donate/financial-donations.
This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 1:59 PM.
