The annual Can the Griz food drive, an off-field competition between Montana State University and the University of Montana to see which school can collect the most donations for its local food bank, will be held Nov. 5 through Nov. 19. The friendly battle is now in its 23rd year.
The drive will begin on Saturday, Nov. 5, and conclude at the end of the first quarter of the annual Brawl of the Wild football game between MSU and UM on Saturday, Nov. 19, according to Kim Cleary, community engagement program manager in the MSU Office of Student Engagement. The winner will be announced on Can the Griz social media accounts (listed below and on the competition’s website) later during the game on Nov. 19.
Organizers ask that nonperishable food donations be taken to collection locations throughout Gallatin County to support those in need. A list of participating locations can be found at canthegriz.com. Donations directly to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank may be dropped off at its location at 602 Bond St. from 8 a.m. to noon on weekdays. Nonperishable donations can be dropped off at most local grocery stores. Look for donation bins near the front of each store. Garden produce can be dropped off at the Gallatin Valley Food Bank.
Large donation drop offs must be scheduled in advance with Jon Horn at jhorn@thehrdc.org. Cleary encouraged those who want to donate to plan ahead, to not wait until the final day and to use drop-off locations around the area. More information on drop-off times and details can be found on the Can the Griz website.
“The importance of the Can the Griz Food Drive is becoming increasingly important to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and the Bounty of the Bridgers Food Pantry as they work to keep up with increasing demand for their services,” Cleary said. “With rising food prices, Can the Griz will be instrumental in making sure both the food bank and our campus food pantry can keep up with the resulting increase to their operating costs. We are aiming to raise yet another record amount of money and food to help support both of these invaluable resources, but we cannot do it without overwhelming support from this fantastic community.”
Monetary donations may also be made directly to the Gallatin County Food Bank by visiting gallatinvalleyfoodbank.org/#donate. Each dollar counts as one pound of food. Bobcat supporters can add their contributions to MSU’s total by telling the food bank their donation is for Can the Griz.
Last year, MSU and Bobcat supporters donated the equivalent of 654,126 pounds of food to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank for the community. (Pounds and dollars are added together for the contest.) The Can the Cats food drive in Missoula brought in the equivalent of 583,010 pounds of food for the Missoula Food Bank. Bozeman and the MSU community have won the competition 18 out of the 22 years it has been held.
Donations from Can the Griz will help the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, as well as the Bounty of the Bridgers food pantry, year-round. The Gallatin Valley Food Bank is one of the HRDC Food and Nutrition Programs’ initiatives. The Bounty of the Bridgers, housed in the Office of Health Advancement, is a student-driven initiative to combat food waste and insecurity on the MSU campus for students, faculty and staff.
Can the Griz is coordinated by the MSU Office of Student Engagement and the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. Community members interested in more details on how to participate or volunteer can visit the Can the Griz website or its Facebook and Instagram pages. For more information or to host a collection box, please contact the MSU Office of Student Engagement at 406-994-2933 or email canthegriz@montana.edu.
Original source can be found here.
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