MSU wins ‘Can the Griz’ in support of Food Bank, university pantry
From MSU News Service
Montana State University and the Bozeman community rallied for a win in the 20th annual Can the Griz food drive, with supporters donating the equivalent of 437,265 pounds of food to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and MSU’s Bounty of the Bridgers food pantry.
Can the Griz – and the corresponding Can the Cats food drive in Missoula – is an off-field competition between MSU and the University of Montana to see which school can collect the most donations for its local food bank.
This year, MSU and the Bozeman community donated 206,550 pounds of food and $230,715 to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, according to Heidi Worley, community engagement program coordinator with the MSU Office of Student Engagement, which coordinates Can the Griz. The Can the Cats food drive in Missoula brought in 213,412 pounds of food and $208,447 for the Missoula Food Bank, for a total of the equivalent of 421,859 pounds of food, Worley said.
Last year, MSU and the Bozeman community donated 263,263 pounds of food plus approximately $185,457 to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, while donations from UM and the Missoula community in 2018 totaled 211,811 pounds of food plus approximately $193,086.
Bozeman and the MSU community have won the competition 17 out of the 20 years it has been held.
“This is a huge accomplishment, and Can the Griz couldn’t happen without our generous community,” Worley said.
The donations from the Can the Griz drive will help the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, as well as the Bounty of the Bridgers food pantry, provide food for families in the community through the spring and into the summer. The Gallatin Valley Food Bank is one of the HRDC Food and Nutrition Program’s initiatives. •
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