Opening Event for Colorado State’s Annual Cans Around the Oval Food Drive Partners with Local Restaurant

Cans Around the Oval, the largest food drive in Northern Colorado, will be kick off this year on Friday, Sept. 9, when proceeds from all sales at Spoons Soups and Salad restaurants will be donated to the food drive, which benefits the Food Bank for Larimer County. During Cans Runneth Over, the opening event, both locations of Spoons at 118 W. Elizabeth St. and 172 N. College Ave. will donate revenue from all sales between 2-8 p.m.

     Last year, Cans Runneth Over raised more than $3,000. A monetary donation of $1 to the food bank supplies up to $10.20 of food to Larimer County residents who qualify for aid. Cans Runneth Over opens Cans Around the Oval, a five-week food drive held by Colorado State University’s Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement. The event is organized by student volunteers.

     "Each year, Cans Around the Oval makes a tremendous difference to hundreds of people who live in our community," said Barb Kistler, director of the Student Leadership and Civic Engagement office. "Cans Around the Oval is an 18-year tradition that creates unity among the Colorado State and Ft. Collins communities while fighting hunger. Colorado State students, with the support of university staff and Fort Collins residents, demonstrate the importance of giving back to their community and to society, and how the value of what one person contributes to such a cause is multiplied. Each year, the boxes of food and monetary donations to Cans Around the Oval grows."  

     Last year, more than 108,000 pounds of food was raised for the Food Bank for Larimer County. The partnership of the Cans Runneth Over opening event with Spoons Soups and Salads is in its third year.

     "We’re all about serving people," said Spoons co-owner Martin Dickey. "The support we’ve received in this community has been tremendous, and we want to return that gift by helping the less fortunate. This has become an annual event for our entire staff and one which we are all committed to."     

At the culmination of the food drive, all of the donated food is gathered and displayed around the university’s historic Oval north of the Administration Building. This year’s Cans Around the Oval will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14.

Colorado State’s Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement provides leadership development, service-learning and volunteer opportunities to university students. SLCE works collaboratively with students, staff, faculty and the community to offer a broad range of service and leadership opportunities to students. Through the programs at SLCE, students can find both support and resources to graduate as engaged, active participants in their local, national and global communities. To learn more about SLCE, visit the Web at www.slce.colostate.edu.

For additional information about Cans Runneth Over, contact Jen Johnson at (970) 491-2955.

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