Record amount of food donated to Gallatin Valley Food Bank through ‘Can the Griz’
From MSU News Service
Montana State University and the Bozeman community donated a record amount of food in the 18th annual Can the Griz food drive, with supporters donating the equivalent of more than 389,093 pounds of food to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank.
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 county food bank.
This year, MSU and the Bozeman community donated 257,336 pounds of food and $131,757 to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, according to Laurynn Olson of the MSU Office of Student Engagement, which coordinates Can the Griz. The Can the Cats food drive in Missoula brought in 255,070 pounds of food and $139,008 for the Missoula Food Bank, Olson said. She added that both communities surpassed last year’s totals, which were also record amounts. Last year, MSU and the Bozeman community donated 234,486 pounds of food plus $92,688 to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, while donations from UM and the Missoula community in 2016 totaled 177,876 pounds of food plus $139, 606.
Bozeman and the MSU community have won the competition for 15 out of the 18 years it has been held, Olson said.
“The competition was so close and we view this as a victory for both towns, as so many people will be fed during the holidays and beyond,” said Randi Maiers, community engagement program coordinator in the MSU Office of Student Engagement. “We had another record-breaking year, and I am in awe of the generosity of our community.”
The “significant” donations from the Can the Griz drive will help the Gallatin Valley Food Bank provide food for families in the community for months to come, said Laura Stonecipher, programs coordinator at the food bank. The Gallatin Valley Food Bank is one of the HRDC Food and Nutrition Program’s initiatives.
“We are just so grateful to the entire community for their generosity, from the school children who donated a single can of food to businesses who donated in bulk and everyone in between,” Stonecipher said. “Our warehouse is so full. We may not have won the competition, but the entire community has certainly won our gratitude. We are especially grateful to our staff and all the volunteers. It takes a lot of work to plan and coordinate such a huge drive and to manage all the donations when they come in. It’s just so humbling to know that people in the community care so much about their neighbors. That’s what it’s really all about.” •
