Colorado State University’s Cans Around the Oval Aims to Collect More Than 65,000 Pounds of Food

A Colorado State University tradition since 1987, organizers of Cans Around the Oval seek to collect more than 65,000 pounds of food and $40,000 this year.

Colorado State’s 26th annual Cans Around the Oval will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17 on the historic CSU Oval. The event is sponsored by CSU’s Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLiCE) office.

As the largest one-day food drive in northern Colorado, CSU partners with the Food Bank for Larimer County to raise food and monetary donations to help those in need in the community.

“It’s important for CSU students to participate, not only to form a connection between CSU and the greater Fort Collins community, but also to give back to the city we live in and our neighbors who are in need,” said student Emma Martens who’s helping to coordinate the event. “Last year through Cans Around the Oval, we donated enough food and money to provide almost 200,000 meals to the food insecure population through the food bank.”

Last year’s students, faculty and staff and community members collected 66,900 pounds of food and $34,038 in donations.

Cans Around the Oval helps more than 40,000 people who depend on the Food Bank for Larimer County. The donations from this one collection day can help these individuals for up to four months.

The four-week food drive began on Sept. 13 and will conclude on Oct. 17 with the collection day, when all of the donated food will be weighed. This is a community effort and in addition to campus participants, local businesses and volunteer groups around Fort Collins will also participate.

For more information about Cans Around the Oval, visit http://www.slice.colostate.edu/cans-around-the-oval.aspx or contact Brett Rundle at (970) 491-3579.

Cans Around Denver

With demand at food banks rising this year, Colorado State University’s Cans Around Denver, in conjunction with Cans Around the Oval, is a community service project in support of Food Bank of the Rockies.

CSU is accepting food or non-perishable donations through Oct. 17 at the following locations:

CSU Denver Center
475 17th Street, Ste. 100, Denver

E.G. Parsons Co/Shaklee Distributors
9797 W. Colfax Ave., #3AA, Denver

Golden Hill Office Building
12600 W. Colfax, Denver

First Bank Corporate Office in Lakewood
12345 W. Colfax Ave., Denver

Frame de Art
3065 S. Broadway, Englewood

Knoll & Company, P.C.
1435 Estes Street, Lakewood

Donations can also be dropped off at any Bonfils Blood Donor Center with locations in Westminster, Stapleton, Denver and Highlands Ranch. For a full list of locations, visit www.bonfils.org.

For more information about Cans Around Denver, contact Tiana Nelson at (303) 376-2624 or denver@ar.colostate.edu.

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