Student food drive going for record

11/11/2008

FINDLAY - The University of Findlay wants to be the top campus in the country to help break a world record for the largest one-day food drive.

Tomorrow, students on college campuses across the country will participate in the Cans Across America drive to collect canned goods for charity.

The goal is to top the Guinness World Record for largest food drive by a noncharitable organization within a 24-hour period in multiple locations.

The largest food drive collected 396,832.07 pounds of food.

Last year, the University of Findlay collected 6,544 pounds and was second in the nation to Curry College in Milton, Mass.

To help Findlay's effort to be the top campus contributor, the community may drop off donations of canned goods from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Henderson Dining Hall on Frazer Street and at St. Paul's Methodist Church.

Two Findlay City Schools - Wilson Vance and Bigelow Hill intermediate schools - will help the university try to reach the record-setting goal.

At Wilson Vance, the three classes that donate the most canned goods will earn extra recess time.

At Bigelow Hill, each class that donates 100 cans or more will be eligible to win free pizza and a day to chew gum in school.

After the donations have been counted and recorded, they will be donated to the Chopin Hall outreach facility in Findlay.

The 6,544 pounds of food items collected last year supplied Chopin Hall for five days.

The university's dining service, Sodexo, and several student organizations are helping with the collection effort.