Bridgewater, Va– Students, faculty and staff are asked to create teams, collect food and donate to Bridgewater College’s campus-wide food drive from Oct. 14 to Oct. 28.
The food drive will be led by Professor Ben Erickson, Senior Instructor of Communication Studies and Director of Community Engagement, and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee in partnership with Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.
“It is important for us to come together and help our community. The thing that really made me want to be part of the food drive was seeing the passion of SAAC and Gwynn Harrison have for this effort,” said Erickson.
As described in the posters that have been put up in the academic buildings and residence halls, the goal is to donate 10,000 items and win the ODAC Food Drive. To motivate students to achieve this goal, the food drive utilizes donation teams and a point system.
The teams will be made up of at least eight people. Sports teams, clubs and organizations are encouraged to work together. Once created and named through the QR code featured on the posters hung throughout nearly every building on campus, teams will collect specific items and drop off their donations. Drop off locations include the FLC, the Mail Room, McKinney 163, Nininger 254 and Memorial 20.
“Teams can gather both non-perishable food items which are worth 1 pt for every item donated and/or non-food items which are worth 3 pts for each item donated. They can then tally their points, fill out a submission form, which will be located at each drop off location—we will be sharing weekly updates with the campus community about our progress,” explained Erickson.
Non-perishable food items include canned fruits, vegetables, tuna, soup and pasta sauce, as well as nut butters, cereal, pasta, rice and oatmeal. Non-food essential items include toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, feminine hygiene products, baby food, diapers and similar items.
“The 3 teams with the most donations at the end of the first week will earn 25 bonus points to be added to their team total,” said Erickson. “The team with the most points at the end of the drive will earn Smiley’s Ice Cream for their team.”
The list of most-needed food and non-food items can be found on BRAFB’s website. The website also provides critical information on food insecurity and data on their organization’s efforts.
“1 in 10 neighbors in the Blue Ridge region is food insecure,” as stated on the BRAFB’s website. In an effort to fight food insecurity, BRAFB has nearly 150,000 guest visits each month and serves nearly 50,000 children and 30,000 seniors monthly. With 27 million meals provided over the last year, BRAFB utilizes food and financial donors, volunteers and food drives and initiatives.
“We especially love students doing food drives or being a part of food bank initiatives,” said Cara Hopson, Managing Director of Development at Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. “Beyond bringing in food, it raises awareness around the issue and it helps to alleviate stigma.”
Food insecurity is often a quiet crisis that people of all backgrounds are faced with. In working with the BRAFB, the BC Food Drive will enable and empower students, faculty and staff to learn about and work to help the issue of food insecurity.
“We are so grateful for the support of our community, for student groups, for people that are raising their voices about the issue of food insecurity,” stated Hopson. “We are really thankful to get to partner with the Bridgewater community in these efforts.”
