Hungry NIU football fans will have a free boiled-corn treat waiting for them before Saturday’s home opener against Tennessee Tech.

The Corn Boil, hosted by NIU athletics and the Newman Catholic Student Center, will take place at the first game for the 26th consecutive year.

The 3,500 ears of corn the Newman Center is preparing for this year’s Corn Boil are all being supplied by agricultural company Del Monte, which has farms in the DeKalb County area, said Pat Mulheran, Newman Center campus minister.

The mostly yellow and mixed-white sweet corn will be delivered the day of the event already husked, Mulheran said. The Newman Center crew will dump the laundry basket-sized containers of sweet corn into an old-fashioned boiler. The operation will be supervised by a gas company to ensure a safe and efficient operation, Mulheran said.

“We’re anticipating some great corn for this year’s Corn Boil,” Mulheran said.

NIU dining services will provide the butter, Mulheran said. The sweet corn will be wrapped and handed out to tailgaters at Huskie Stadium starting at noon. Some corn will be delivered to the press box “so no one is left out,” Mulheran said.

Extra corn will be passed out to Huskie fans leaving the stadium, Mulheran said. Any remaining corn will go to local homeless shelter Hope Haven and abused women’s shelter Safe Passage.

“The Corn Boil is an important component of the game-day atmosphere,” said Stacy Allie, assistant athletic director of marketing. “We are always trying to tie in athletics into the campus community and offering some entertainment options for our students.”

The Newman Center is accepting help for the Corn Boil and will accept walk-up help, which happens often at corn boils, Mulheran said.

The Newman Center also is hosting the 11th Annual Pork Chop Chow Down, which will take place from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Students and Huskie football fans can pre-purchase a pork chop, veggie and baked potato meal before the game and enjoy it at the Newman Center with their friends and family, Mulheran said.

Rachel Iverson, a sophomore early childhood education major who considers herself a huge fan of both football and corn, said that she would come to the game a little earlier than usual if it meant she would receive free corn.

“I love buttered and salted corn,” she said. “It’s the best.”