Kappa Sigma's Apple Cup Run will come to a finish in Husky Stadium today at noon, when a football that has traveled 350 miles will be passed to football coach Tyrone Willingham.

The Apple Cup Run is the largest fraternity philanthropic event and raises thousands of dollars for Northwest Harvest, the only statewide hunger relief agency in Washington, dedicated to feeding hungry families each year.

Before every Husky home game, members of the fraternity would split up into teams and personally ask for donations from tailgaters.

"The key is to get just one person in a group to take out their wallet," said Kappa Sigma President Ross Michaelis. "As soon as one person donates the rest of the group usually feels guilted into it."

Kappa Sigmas explained how they encourage people to donate by running a football from Pullman to Seattle.

"Every year we get together with our WSU fraternity and they run the football from Pullman to Wenatchee, and we run the ball the rest of the way home," Michaelis said. "We rent a charter bus and drive behind the person running with the ball, and then when they get tired we rotate and people run off and on the bus while its moving ... slowly."

This year $11,000 will be donated to Northwest Harvest just in time for Thanksgiving. The organization can sufficiently feed a family on 53 cents.

Sometimes crazy antics were used to get people to donate to the cause, said Ryan Smith, who received $1,000 in donations one day with a friend.

"We made human pyramids, ran short errands and even sang 'Happy Birthday' to a 70-year-old woman," Smith said. "The day we made the $1,000, everyone was giving generously, and we ran into some Kappa Sigma alumni who donated $500 total."

Even though today marks the end of their philanthropic event the fraternity will be selling jackets made by American Apparel for $25 to support the charity.

"Whatever run-off there is from selling the track jackets will go directly to Northwest Harvest," said Michaels, who also designed the jackets.

If you would like to purchase a jacket, email the fraternity at rushksig@gmail.com.

If you would like to know more about Northwest Harvest, their Cherry Street food bank is located in downtown Seattle.

[Reach reporter Chantal Anderson at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]