Tomorrow marks the end of San Diego State’s annual food drive that raised more than 18,000 pounds of food for the San Diego Food Bank last year. The food drive is organized by the food bank and encourages colleges around San Diego to compete to collect the largest quantity of food donations relative to the college’s student population.
SDSU has won the food drive every year since the competitive food drive began four years ago. This year, Associated Students Vice President of Finance Rob O’Keefe anticipates SDSU’s “Aztecs Rock Hunger” will garner more than 20,000 pounds worth of food. O’Keefe said SDSU’s success is a result of AS’s method of getting everyone at the school involved and excited about the philanthropic effort.
“We made sure SDSU rocks hunger was not known as an AS event, but rather as a campus-wide event,” O’Keefe said.
This was done by creating competitions between different entities within SDSU. For instance, while AS is competing to raise more donations than Cultural Arts and Special Events, different fraternities and sororities are competing with one another within the Greek system. O’Keefe estimates AS will raise between 6,000 to 9,000 pounds of food by the end of the week.
Another innovative way SDSU has raised money was Two Minute Madness at SDSU’s homecoming football game against TCU. The game’s announcer called out to all those attending the game, asking them to give what they could. A group of SDSU students, from a variety of clubs and organizations, walked up and down the bleachers with collection bins for two minutes. In that short period of time, enough money to donate 4,000 pounds worth of food was collected.
The San Diego Food Bank assists more than 350,000 San Diegans in need. Beyond feeding the homeless, it gives meals to other demographics such as veterans, single mothers and the elderly.
“If we all give, we can make a big difference in the lives of those in need. It’s more than beating the other universities, it’s helping people in need,” SDSU President Elliot Hirshman said.
Aztecs Rock Hunger will stop accepting donations tomorrow, but they can be made in several different ways. Visit any Aztec Market to make a direct monetary donation, place nonperishable food in one of the red bins dispersed around campus, or visit sdsu.edu/hunger to make a donation to the virtual food pantry.
