Tubby Smith Foundation and Gopher hoops give back during the holidays

Nov 27, 2012; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton meets with Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Tubby Smith before the game at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Gophers communications announced Thursday the Tubby Smith Foundation, along with the Gophers men’s basketball team, used their 10-day University-mandated athletics break in December to better the community.

The “Ten Days of Holiday Giving” effort from Dec. 13 to Dec. 22 included donations to public libraries and the salvation army, as well as holiday clothes shopping at Target for 20 families of the East Side Neighborhood Services.

“The Tubby Smith Foundation’s mission is to be a resource for children and charities that benefit children in the State of Minnesota, who demonstrate a need for financial assistance to improve their physical, mental, educational or overall well-being,” a release on Gophersports.com said.

Tubby Smith and his wife, Donna, launched the Minnesota Chapter of the Tubby Smith Foundation in September of 2011. It began with the inaugural Golf Classic on Sept. 18 and 19 with the proceeds helping support “charities in Minnesota that benefit underprivileged children on an as-needed basis.”