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By Abbie Stevens, StevensA6@Findlay.edu
On Nov. 6, the University of Findlay is set to host its 19th annual Helping Hands Food Drive to collect non-perishable goods to give back to the Hancock County community.
“The goal of Helping Hands is to help ease the struggle that some individuals go through,” SGA President Kaitlyn Watkins said.
Food collected through the drive is donated to Christians Helping Other People In Need (CHOPIN), a Findlay-based nonprofit that distributes food to community members experiencing rougher patches.
UF students can get involved with the Helping Hands Food Drive in a variety of ways.
“One is that you can volunteer the day of the event,” Watkins said. “You can cover an off-campus collection area or assist with sorting, inspecting and packaging donations.”
Clubs and groups can also get involved by participating in a friendly challenge known as the Canstruction Competition.
“All groups that register for the challenge begin with the same amount of canned goods that are donated by the Student Government Association (SGA),” Watkins said.
Each group then has four days to create an innovative structure or design using their cans in the CBSL lobby. Participating clubs have the chance to win Most Poundage, Most Creative and People’s Choice.
“This year the Canstruction theme is ‘Game on to Stop Hunger,’” Watkins said. “This can include sports, board games, video games, etc.”
Numerous Hancock-county-area schools also compete to collect and donate the most pounds of food per person in school, with the winning school receiving a pizza party and trophy. Businesses are also getting in on the action, with organizations including Sodexo, Garner Trucking, Campbells and Great Scot Markets sponsoring and donating to the drive.
Last year, the food drive collected 249,897 pounds of food, which is almost 10,000 pounds over their goal of 240,000. This year, SGA hopes to exceed last year’s poundage.
Collectively, over 1.5 million pounds of nonperishable goods, including peanut butter, canned fruit, canned soup, bottled juice, and cereal have been donated since the drive started in 2006.
