
Dozens of ice skaters glided across the Xtream Arena during its Skate & Donate event Thursday night. Skaters were encouraged to bring personal care items — toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, baby wipes, shampoo and conditioner, soap and body wash — to support the Coralville Community Food Pantry (CCFP). Skaters that brought donations had their skate rental fee waived.
“We wanted to do a community event where we were allowed to be able to come skate on the ice,” said Rori Carlo, director of marketing at Xtream Arena and GreenState Family Fieldhouse. “And then as part of the holiday season, we wanted to partner with local nonprofits to help them out as much as we can. We partnered with Coralville Community Food Pantry to find items that they need that aren’t necessarily food.”
Once a week residents of Coralville and Tiffin can visit CCFP and collect food and personal care items. The pantry also holds other programs to provide food for students during school breaks and to create community gardens.
“We can take any dollar given to us and turn it into $20 or so worth of food through some of our food sources,” said John Boller, executive director of CCFD. “As far as these personal care items go, we don’t really have a cheaper way of accessing them. So if people are out and about, they can pick up things like diapers, toilet paper, shampoo, things like that.”
Xtream is collecting donations through Dec. 30 at the GreenState Family Fieldhouse and the rink at Coral Ridge Mall. CCFP accepts monetary donations through their website, and drop offs during their donation hours 10 a.m. to noon, Tuesday through Saturday.