Sunday’s home game for Purdue’s men’s basketball featured a special visitor from the North Pole, as Boilermakers forward Caleb Furst once again dressed up as “Buddy the Elf” for the team’s annual Food Drive game. Furst has dressed up as the main character from the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy “Elf” the past three years, and he and his team have now been able to provide more than 50,000 meals to families in need in doing so.
During Sunday’s 83-73 win over Maryland, fans were asked to bring five canned food items to Mackey Arena in exchange for a “Caleb the Elf” poster — a nod to Furst’s resemblance to Will Ferrell — continuing what has become a Christmas tradition at Purdue during Furst’s time with the team. With Furst in his senior year, the Boilermakers put together a compilation of all clips filmed of Furst in his elf attire over the last three years, creating a “Caleb the Elf” movie for posterity.
On Tuesday, Purdue announced that the men’s basketball team has now donated nearly 20 tons (39,757 pounds) of food and a total of 50,407 meals, making for a resounding success in the spirit of the holiday season.
“It’s for a good cause and that’s ultimately the mindset and the goal behind it,” Furst said, per Sports Illustrated. “I think we’ve been pretty successful in raising a lot of canned goods for people in need.”
Purdue’s Food Drives have been to benefit Food Finders in Lafayette, Ind., which distributes more than 12 million pounds of food annually to those facing hunger across 16 counties.
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