Crushing Hunger One Can at a Time

It’s time, once again, for Huntington University and five other area universities to do battle in healthy, fun competition to crush out hunger in northeast Indiana. #UCanCrushHunger 2018, sponsored by the Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, Inc., began on October 22 and runs through November 5. 

“It’s important for students to understand that our campus is not representative of our broader community,” said Dr. Norrie Friesen, Director of Volunteer Service and Outreach Ministry. “That is, a significant population in our community of Huntington like many other communities in northeast Indiana is food insecure. We need to realize that we can have an impact in our community by helping to meet the needs of our neighbors. Love, INC is a partner with Community Harvest Food Bank and the food we collect and the money we raise will be donated to Love, INC.” 

The purpose of this intercollegiate competition is to collect 50,000 pounds of food to be distributed to the over 84,000 people in northeast Indiana who are food insecure. The food collected by Huntington University will be donated directly to Love, INC. Last year, Huntington University collected 3,000 pounds of food and came in third place. This year, the goal is to collect 4,000 pounds of food and in order to do that, HU’s Friesen Center is asking students, faculty, staff, and friends to donate cans or dollars ($1 = 4 pounds) for the cause. Needed items include peanut butter, canned meat, canned tuna, canned vegetables, and canned fruit. Monetary donations can be made online. 

“For many students, I’m not sure they realize how diverse Huntington is. We seek to get students involved in local agencies and this is another way students can see how they can have an impact,” said Friesen. “As a Christian liberal arts university, I think we need to reinforce the message of Jesus to feed the poor and care for those who have need.  This is a practical and easy way to underscore the importance of this message.”

Another way the university is contributing to the food drive is through Olympiad, a large campus event hosted by the Student Activities Board where students compete in various activities. There will be a “can-struction” event where teams will compete to build a structure out of canned foods. Teams must collect their own cans, which will all be donated to the food drive.

For more information about the #UCanCrushHunger food drive, please contact the Friesen Center for Volunteer Service at (260) 358-3696 or friesencenter@huntington.edu.