SNAC Stuff-A-Bus program going through November
Utah State University’s largest month-long food drive, Stuff-A-Bus, continues this week with volunteers from the Student Nutrition Access Center, the Cache Community Food Pantry and Aggie Shuttle.
Every Monday night in November, volunteers go to local neighborhoods, pick up food donations from community members and then take it to the food bank.
“We start planning in September,” said SNAC co-director Sierra Allen. “The SNAC pantry has taken over running this event for the last several years. We get plastic bag donations from grocery stores, scout out neighborhoods to go to, make maps and recruit volunteers.”
The event was started 22 years ago by Alden Erickson, the current director of Parking and Transportation Services. Erickson started by going to grocery stores to get donations of food and supplies like hygiene items to give to families in need.
“It’s been evolving over the years,” Allen said, “but SNAC took over several years ago and it’s become a fun tradition. We take out Aggie Shuttles filled with Aggies around the community to pick up donated food and it’s always a lot of fun and a great way to get to know our community better.”
The Aggie Shuttles start at Maverick Stadium on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. and go around town leaving grocery bags on doors. The group then meets again on Monday at 7:00 p.m. and travels to North Logan, River Heights, Logan City and Providence to collect food from residents.
“Everyone is welcome to come help. We love having groups come too,” Allen said. “Lots of campus clubs or organizations as well as church groups come and help and we love that.”
Anyone with questions regarding the event can go to the Aggie Sync event page of to the service center in the Taggart Student Center.
Volunteer Bryce Johnston said he helps with the Stuff-A-Bus event every year.
“I’ve been helping with the donation pickup, bringing hot chocolate for all of the volunteers when they get off the bus and helping unload at the food pantry,” Johnston said. “I’ve helped with SNAC before but that’s what I’ve mainly been doing this month.”
Holley Stringham Students enetering the buses to collect food for Stuff a Bus on November 12, 2018.
Each year, large groups of students volunteer, sometimes over 100. They are asked to be respectful and “jolly” as they visit the homes.
“In some ways hunger really is a hidden epidemic,” Johnston said. “It’s important work, being able to get food to the pantries because it’s vital to combat the hunger for those in need, especially in Cache Valley where there really isn’t a large support base for it.”
He continued.
“SNAC always has tons of opportunities for volunteering throughout the whole year. I feel the holiday spirit at its core is really about making it a good holiday for those that really need it. Service is the best present you can give to your community. It doesn’t cost anything and goes so much further than what you put in.”
Cassie Ivie said she got involved with the event after volunteering for SNAC throughout the year.
“It’s easy for Utah State students to live separately from Logan residents. As a group effort, this makes us into a unified community. We become mutually supportive and more capable as a whole,’ Ivie said.
Matt Whitaker is the director of the food pantry and said the organization really emphasizes volunteer work from January to October because during the holiday season people are always showing up to help but they lose interest the rest of the year.
“What I really want from this event is to provide students with a meaningful service opportunity where they can get to know their community better,” Allen said. “We go to neighborhoods that most students would never go to otherwise and being able to interact with community members is really important and helps create a sense of connection for many students.”
Allen said she isn’t focused on how much the organization is donating, though she admits the more the better.
“To me, numbers are great, but seeing people grow and learn is more important to me,” Allen said.
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