USUSA competes to collect cans for student food pantry
Utah State University’s Student Association is holding a competition from Oct. 24 through Nov. 18 to help raise donations for the Student Nutrition and Access Center.
This year SNAC has seen a huge increase in the number of students using its donation-funded food pantry. As a result of the increase SNAC has had to limit the amount of food it gives to each student who comes to the pantry.
In the past SNAC has received most of its donations from the Cache Valley food pantry, as well as collecting leftover food from the USU Dining Services, but that hasn’t been enough to meet the pantry’s growing demand.
“We have people lining up before we open but we are almost wiped out after 20 minutes,” said Hannah Nickerson, a director of SNAC.
When student body president Ashley Waddoups discovered the food shortage, she immediately began working with her cabinet director, Carly Thornhill, to find a way to get SNAC the resources they needed.
“We think, as students, we don’t have the money to make a difference,” Waddoups said. “If everyone can just bring one can that will make a huge difference.”
The competition is designed to have different cabinets of USUSA compete to bring in the greatest food donation. They are not only allowed to ask for canned food donations from members of their cabinet, but also for donations from students.
Thornhill hopes that by having USUSA officers asking for donations, the quality of the donations will be better than a usual food drive.
“We are focusing on getting canned food, and not just the typical canned food that you give to the canned food drive that you find in the back of the pantry,” Thornhill said. “These are students that are eating this; they aren’t just people that we don’t know.”
The president’s cabinet is in the lead, but Matthew Clewett, vice president of the student advocate’s cabinet, is confident his cabinet is going to win the competition.
“The president’s cabinet may be in the lead now, but we still have some tricks up our sleeve,” Clewett said.
Thornhill hopes that even after Nov. 18 students will still donate to the pantry.
“You don’t just need this food drive to donate,” Thornhill said, “You can donate any time.”
Waddoups echoed Thornhill’s statement, adding that it is during the next few months especially that students will need to use the pantry the most.
“During the holiday months that’s when students start needing the food the most,” Waddoups said.
The two directors of SNAC, Hannah Nickerson and Hannah Elliott, only recently found out about the food drive. They were not only excited to find out that the pantry would be receiving more donations, but also were impressed to see how USUSA was bring students closer together.
“It’s students helping students,” Elliott said. “That is what helps build our Aggie family.”