Annual Holiday Food Drive begins

By Daniel Krut

The Campus Food Bank is trying to feed all the hungry Bob Cratchits this Christmas.

Starting Nov. 22, the Holiday Food Drive will highlight the needs of hungry students on campus.

The week-long food drive will feature numerous events, campus- wide donation tables, and end with a Planet Smashers concert on Fri., Nov. 26. Some of the other events happening on campus include a food pyramid, Multicultural Clubs Casino and a silent auction.

Students’ Union President Rob South hopes the food drive will raise awareness of hunger on campus.

"Last year the Campus Food Bank helped over 700 people and almost half of those were children," said South. "We want people to get involved–the more the better."

The goal of the drive is to raise $20,000, with $15,000 going to the Campus Food Bank and $5,000 to the Calgary Inter-faith Food Bank.

"We are also running the Adopt-a-Student Family," said South. "People or groups interested in this event receive a profile of a family and tailor gifts to match the family."

Clubs are urged to participate in this event, and some friendly club competition is encouraged. Although club sign-up hasn’t happened yet, the Biology Students’ Association has already indicated they want to participate.

"We plan to do a lot of events and have already lined up some good sponsors with lots of prizes for our members," said BSA Representative Erin Brown. "We want to make the campus a better place, we want a little bit of competition between clubs, and we also get a warm cuddly feeling from helping out students."

Food bank hampers, created by volunteers at the CFB, supply food and toiletry items for one week. Packages vary depending on specific needs. The cfb is located on the first floor of MacEwan Hall, Room 144. Students or clubs interested in staffing donation tables can sign-up on Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Volunteer Services at 220-8599.