JOHNSTON, Iowa — Iowa State football hosts No. 11 BYU on Saturday in what’s expected to be a fierce Big 12 matchup. While Cyclone fans will certainly outnumber BYU fans, the Cougars want their presence to be felt … by giving back.

The local Iowa BYU alumni group has teamed up with Johnston Partnership to collect coats, shoes and blankets in a tailgate before the game. 

BYU Cougs Care calls it “Party for a Purpose.” 

Since the majority of BYU fans and alumni are part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, they do not drink alcohol.

“I know tailgating and BYU fans kind of seem like a contrast to a lot of people. Most BYU fans don’t drink. So what are you going to do if you get together and tailgate? For us, we’re not bringing beer and brats, but we are bringing a service. We’re going to help in the community,” Greg Welch, with the BYU Alumni Chapter of Iowa, said. “We’re still going to have a party. But for us, it’s a party with a purpose. We expect about a thousand BYU fans at Reiman Gardens at our tailgate. If any Iowa State fans want to contribute, bring some kids shoes. We’ll be happy to add them and get them to the Johnson Partnership.”

The Johnston Partnership is grateful for the contributions as the cold weather nears. 

“They put the word out there, and right after we agreed to do it, that next week we started getting shoes coming in through our wishlist on Amazon. Money started coming in from people who are not planning on donating or don’t want to carry them to the event,” Johnston Partnership Executive Director Andrea Cook said. “And then the event on Saturday is going to be the big collection. We’ve already had over 60 pairs of shoes and over $200 dollars already donated.”

The BYU alum and the Latter-Day Saints community also have already donated 16 vacuum packed bundles of coats, that add up to about 800 coats total. They’re hoping community members will add to that. 

So, what inspired the Cougars to collect these items? Well, it was actually a Des Moines resident from 170 years ago.

“We found a really interesting connection with our church’s history right here in Iowa. In 1856, when there were handcart companies coming through Fort Des Moines, Charles Good came out and gave 15 pairs of new boots to the shoeless children of this handcart company walking from Iowa City to Salt Lake. We want to pay forward the kindness that Charles Good showed members of our church,” Welch said. “There’s kids today in Iowa who need shoes, and we’re gathering new and gently used shoes as part of our tailgate.”

And it comes at a good time for the Johnston Partnership. 

“November is typically our busiest month, so if we are going to see people once a year, it’s generally in November or December,” Cook said. “We already have that going on, coupled with there being an increase in need for people. We have had a number of new families that we used to have once a month who are now doing once a week.”

You can drop off shoes, blankets and coats before the game at the tailgate in Reiman Gardens Saturday or donate online at johnstonpartnership.org.