Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity: Cans Around the Oval celebrates 30th year as Larimer County’s largest one-day food drive

FORT COLLINS – Colorado State University’s Office of Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLiCE) will once again host Cans Around the Oval, the largest one-day food drive for the Food Bank for Larimer County, on Wednesday, Oct. 12. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the food drive.

WHEN/WHERE

Student volunteers will be collecting, sorting and weighing all the nonperishable food items that have been donated by CSU faculty, staff, students and community members between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the CSU Oval, off Laurel and Howes streets. The collected food will be loaded into Food Bank for Larimer County trucks to be delivered to the food bank.

DETAILS

Each year, the Food Bank for Larimer County provides meals to the 36,000 residents who lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life, and each year, Cans Around the Oval provides enough non-perishable items and cash donations to provide nearly 350,000 pounds of food to the Food Bank. It’s the largest one-day collection event in Northern Colorado, and celebrates its 30<sup>th</sup> anniversary this year.

“CSU has a really unique community that values supporting each other and being actively engaged,” said Jenn Rieskamp, program coordinator for the SLiCE office. “Last year we had 15,000 participants – that’s just amazing. It’s just a very special event.”

In addition to packaged items that registered student organizations have been soliciting since just after Labor Day, Cans Around the Oval also brings in monetary donations that help the Food Bank provide nutritious items such as fresh produce and dairy products for families in need. Learn more about the Food Bank and hunger in Larimer County at foodbanklarimer.org

Community member who want to donate to Cans can make a cash donation at cans.colostate.edu, drop off canned goods at the SLiCE office on the first floor of the Lory Student Center, or bring them directly to Collection Day on Oct. 12 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., in front of the Administration Building.

Cans Around the Oval started as a class project in 1987.

Read the history here: source.colostate.edu/cans-around-the-oval-it-all-began-with-a-class-project/