The Exponent - campus


11-08-2004	Previous edition: 11-05-2004

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Food drive encourages teamwork, charity

By JC Romero
Staff Writer

Donations to this year’s food drive will pass through a labyrinth of organizations before it reaches the people who actually need it.

This starts with the Boiler Volunteer Network and Purdue Student Government encouraging participation for the food drive they are sponsoring.

After the food is dropped off at the Boiler Volunteer Network, Food Finders Food Bank will come to pick it up.

Mindi Rohan, resource developer for the Food Finders Food Bank, said, "We sort and store the food, then agencies come here and collect the food."

Rohan said that each year the Food Finders Food Bank provides more than three million pounds of food to more than 170 agencies in 16 counties. Some of the agencies that get food from the Food Finders Food Bank include the Lafayette Transitional Housing Center, the Lafayette Urban Ministry, and the Young Women’s Christian Association.

Norah Ashcraft, legal advocate for the YWCA, said that the food they receive from the Food Finders Food Bank often goes in boxes for when people leave the shelter.

"If we didn’t get food from Food Finders, they might not have anything to cook that night," said Ashcraft. "For many people that is their groceries for the week. Cereal is very expensive in the grocery store, and kids tend to go through a lot of cereal, so that is probably one of the most important things that we can pick up."

Frances Lin, undergraduate assistant for the Boiler Volunteer Network and a senior in the School of Liberal Arts, said, "This food drive ties into the upcoming holidays, like Thanksgiving."

Lin, who is coordinating this project, said that in addition to campus departments or offices, student organizations and residence halls or floors, Greek letter organizations were added to the categories of groups that can sign up to collect food this year.

"Usually 30 to 35 groups sign up," Lin said, "and right now we have over 40."

Groups who are interested but have not yet signed up should submit participation forms today and start collecting food. Individuals can also sign up to collect food or donate food directly to the Boiler Volunteer Network during the drop-off times on Nov. 18 and 19.

"People usually forget to put it in sturdy boxes instead of paper or plastic bags," Lin said, so gathering food that is dropped off is sometimes difficult.

For more information the Boiler Volunteer Network can be reached at bvn@purdue.edu or 496-2450.
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Food drive encourages teamwork, charity

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