Fans flocked to Coralville food pantry to meet former Hawkeye Kate Martin and coach Jan Jensen

Cars lined the quiet residential streets around the Coralville Community Food Pantry on Monday afternoon as fans packed the lot for a meet-and-greet with former Hawkeye women’s basketball standout Kate Martin and University of Iowa women’s basketball head coach and 2025 Spalding Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year Jan Jensen.

Even a year after Martin graduated from the UI, a crowd of over 200 fans formed a line out the door for a chance to meet her, snap a picture, and get an autograph. Martin, who now plays for the WNBA’s new expansion team the Golden State Valkyries, said the crowd size was a testament to the warmth and enthusiasm of Hawkeye fans.

“I can’t give back as much to this community as they’ve given to me. I feel like I’m forever indebted to the Iowa City area and all the support I got over the years playing at Iowa,” Martin said in an interview with The Daily Iowan. “Being able to come out and meet a lot of the fans and help support the local food pantry, it just means a lot to me.”

While also praising the fanbase, Jensen — who coached Martin during her six-season career at the UI — said the turnout is a sign of Martin’s impact on the community.

“Kate’s a star among stars. For her to come back, I couldn’t be any more proud as a former coach of hers,” Jensen said in an interview with the DI. “That’s what makes the Hawks so special.”

The event marked the end of a month-long “Team Up Against Hunger” campaign in which Jensen and Martin encouraged fans to donate $20 or more to register in advance for a drawing to win a series of prizes — including a signed WNBA Golden State Valkyries Kate Martin jersey.

Martin said her time playing on the Hawkeye women’s basketball team influenced her motivation to give back to the community.

“What’s amazing about the Iowa women’s basketball team is that they wanted us to be good people. Better people make better Hawks,” Martin said. “They cared more about what we did off the court sometimes than what even happened on the court.”

Jensen said she hopes the enthusiasm around the event will increase awareness for the Coralville Community Food Pantry and the work it does to help families struggling with food insecurity.

“Especially in the times we’re living in, the work that the Coralville Food Pantry does is so important,” Jensen said. “It always has been. But right now, I think there’s a special, unique need for it.”

John Boller, executive director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry, echoed this point, adding that the pantry has been serving an increasingly high number of families in the past two years.

“Families are really struggling right now,” Boller said. “A partnership like this is huge for us. It draws in not just really essential funds, but engagement of individuals who might want to come back and volunteer or support us.”

Boller said the “Team Up Against Hunger” campaign successfully reached its $20,000 fundraising goal.

“The funds that we’ve raised through this campaign will help us support our food assistance program through the purchase of food primarily,” Boller said.

RELATED: Caitlin Clark raises over $100,000 for Coralville food pantry over two years

Adding an extra layer of meaning to the initiative was Julie Fitzpatrick — Jensen’s spouse and Martin’s aunt, who has volunteered at the Coralville Community Food Pantry for the past two years. After previously partnering with former UI women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark, Boller reached out to Fitzpatrick to see if Jensen and Martin might be interested in a similar collaboration.

“I knew they’d always want to do it,” Fitzpatrick said. “It was just a matter of finding the time in their schedules.”

Fitzpatrick said giving back to the community reflects her niece’s character and that Martin’s time on the Hawkeye women’s basketball team was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication.

“From a very young age, she had a dream to play basketball at Iowa,” Fitzpatrick said. “So, for me to watch that unfold has been one of the greatest joys of my life.”

Coralville resident Jenny Benjamin, who waited in line with her 13-year-old daughter, said Martin and Jensen’s impact extends beyond the court.

“They’re great role models for all Iowans, but as well for young women,” Benjamin said.

Benjamin’s daughter, Allison Loving, said she was excited to meet Jensen and Martin, whom she described as her favorite women’s basketball stars.

“They’re very, very nice and very open to just having a conversation,” Loving said.

Benjamin and Loving showed as much enthusiasm for the Coralville Community Food Pantry’s mission as they did for meeting the Hawkeye women’s basketball icons.

“When I get older, I’d like to help volunteer here at the food pantry,” Loving said.