Sometime last decade, a person connected to the Governor’s Employee Food Drive sent University President Dave Frohnmayer some coupons to McDonald’s – a gesture mocking the University’s poor performance in the annual competition.
University staff and faculty have come a long way since then; this year’s goal has once again been raised, this time to 150,000 pounds of food.
Last year, the University raised more than 137,000 pounds of food, up from 90,000 pounds in 2004, and won the “most improved” award, said Deb Buchanan, food solicitor for FOOD For Lane County.
All food and proceeds raised by the University go directly to help FFLC. The annual event is the largest funding drive of the year for FFLC, Buchanan said.
Donations to the drive come in two forms: nonperishable food and cash. Money goes not just to the purchase of food, but also the ability to access food through programs such as FFLC’s food rescue express program. One dollar equals six pounds of food and can feed an adult three times, Buchanan said.
Buchanan credited Karen Scheeland, public and government affairs coordinator, and Nita Nickell, trademark management assistant director, for the growing success of the drive. Both women coordinate the campus-wide food drive.
“The real success has been involving all these people in the decision making,” Scheeland said.
Lisa Plumb of the Human Resources Department was one of those who decided on the 150,000 pound goal.
“We just expect a lot; (the faculty and staff) just seem to come through,” Plumb said.
“Drive out hunger” is the department’s theme this year.
“We’re focusing on the idea that in order for a car to run well you need to put premium gasoline in it,” Plumb said. The department is encouraging people to donate premium food with protein such as tuna, peanut butter, chili and beans. The department also puts a cutout of a paper car on the wall for every dollar donated. As of Tuesday, 557 cars were on the wall, representing 3,342 pounds of food. Across the campus, staff and faculty are finding creative ways to generate donations for the drive.
Brian Stanley, assistant director of admissions, is selling snickerdoodle cookies by the dozen, something he’s done for five years now. In three weeks, Stanley has sold 120 dozen cookies at $5 a dozen and has 23 orders for next Monday’s batch.
Genevieve Roesler Beecher, from the Department of Religious Studies, is selling origami figures for $1 or two cans of food each.
Rebecca Goodrich, of the Psychology department, has won the campus competition the last couple of years by sending e-mails to professors asking for donations, Scheeland said.
Another big money earner is the annual Lundquist College of Business Silent Auction. This year’s auction is on Feb. 28 in Lillis 440 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Prizes will include jewelry, hotel rooms, gourmet dinners, event tickets, baskets of all sorts, wine and more, said Robin Bagent, program support assistant. The auction raised more than $5,000 last year, equal to more than 30,000 pounds of food.
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