BYU expands ‘Cougs Care’ initiative with hometown Provo event

PROVO — BYU’s largest tailgate with a purpose is adding to its barnstorming tour by returning closer to home.

The Cougars have expanded the popular “Cougs Care” initiative to feature a service-oriented tailgate at home during the 2026 football season in partnership with First Down Provo, the organizations announced Thursday in partnership with BYU Continuing Education.

The groups will team up Friday, Sept. 11 at the Old Courthouse County Grounds in downtown Provo, where fans are encouraged to bring canned food to donate to Community Action Services and Food Bank that helps local families combat food insecurity.

The popular traveling service project led by local chapters of the BYU alumni association since 2019 helped donate more than 70,000 pounds of food, 7,000 books, and 1,000 coats and pairs of shoes last season as Cougar fans congregated the night before or morning of football road games across the Big 12 and beyond.

This year, Cougs Care will feature literacy drives, food drives and shoe drives in Colorado, Texas, Florida, Kansas and Utah, in addition to the Provo event scheduled for the night before BYU’s Big 12 opener against Arizona (1:30 p.m. MT, FOX).

Here’s where traveling fans of BYU can find Cougs Care on the road during the 2026 season. More information about each service tailgate and alumni project can be found at alumni.byu.edu:

Sept 19, 5:30 p.m. MT — BYU @ Colorado State

• Tailgate time: 2:30-4:30 PM MDT
• Location: 951 Meridian Ave (Outside CSU Rec Center), Fort Collins, CO

Fans are encouraged to donate new children’s books to benefit the Children’s Speech and Reading Center, a local nonprofit that provides literacy and speech services to children and families in northern Colorado. Donations will also be accepted online through an Amazon wishlist.

Oct. 3 — BYU @ TCU

• Tailgate time: Friday, October 2, 6-8 PM
• Location: Josey Ranch Athletic Complex, 1440 Keller Springs Rd, Carrollton, TX

BYU’s alumni tailgate in the DFW will be held Friday due to General Conference weekend of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when BYU plays in Fort Worth.

Fans are encouraged to bring new children’s books to benefit Literacy United, a local nonprofit that works to improve literacy rates and education in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The last time BYU played in Texas, the alumni association teamed up with former offensive lineman Andy Reid and star Texas Tech alum Patrick Mahomes for a literacy drive benefitting Literacy Lubbock in west Texas.

👀 Ahead of this week’s TOP 10 matchup, BYU alum Andy Reid & @TexasTech alum @PatrickMahomes are encouraging fans to team up to support Literacy Lubbock—bring a book to the Cougs Care tailgate before the game or donate at https://t.co/Lb4g6q2fBm! pic.twitter.com/zAYaak1CMd

— BYU (@BYU) November 5, 2025

Oct. 24 — BYU @ UCF

• Tailgate time: TBA (3 hours prior to kickoff)
• Location: Carillon Elementary School, 3200 Lockwood Blvd, Oviedo, FL

Fans are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items for students to the pregame tailgate benefitting Knights Pantry, an on-campus resource that provides food and other essentials to UCF students experiencing financial hardship.

Nov. 7 — BYU @ Utah

• Tailgate time: TBA (3 hours prior to kickoff)
• Location: BYU Salt Lake Center, 345 W North Temple, 3 Triad Center, Suite 300, Salt Lake City, UT

BYU fans and alumni will once again team up with University of Utah supporters prior to kickoff for a service tailgate collaboration between the BYU School of Education and the University of Utah College of Education to help children to build strong reading habits and foundations.

Nov. 21 — BYU @ Kansas

• Tailgate time: TBA (3 hours prior to kickoff)
• Location: Buford M. Watson Jr. Park, 727 Kentucky St, Lawrence, KS

BYU fans and alumni are once again invited to bring new and gently used sports equipment to Watson Park in Lawrence, Kansas for a pregame tailgate benefitting the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club and Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas that works to expand recreational opportunities for children and families in the area.