Food drive coming to HutchCC April 5-9

By Sam Bailey
Editor In Chief

COVID-19 has affected billions of people worldwide and has forced many into new lifestyles and positions they never thought they’d be in.

While many people have been complaining over the past year about things like having to stay inside or wearing a mask, there are people living in poverty who may have had to struggle with much bigger issues like finding food or shelter to support themselves and their families.

One way people can help those in need is to donate food in their local food drives, like the one the Hutchinson Community College Honors Student Council is putting on April 5-9.

“Any community members and students who would like to donate can drop (food) off on campus, down stairs of the Parker Student Union,” said Karina Ayala Varela, Vice Chair of Community Service for Honors Student Council. “We will have a room where we will be collecting donations.”

The drive is specifically looking for non-perishable canned or packaged food items such as crackers, soup and peanut butter.

“The items will be donated to the Food Bank of Reno County (FBRC) and the Second Missionary Baptist Church,” Ayala Varela said.

This is not the first year the Honors Student Council has hosted the food drive.

“The Honors Student Council has hosted the FBRC Drive ever since 2008,” said Honors Student Council Advisor and Honors Program Coordinator Ryan Diehl. “It brings together HutchCC as a way to help out the Hutchinson community.”

There will be a contest while this drive is going on to see which team on campus can earn more points by bringing in food needed for the drive.

The teams are made into categories based around student organizations, academic departments, and campus offices.

The scoring system is based on the demand of the products being brought in.

“This semester, we would like the teams to keep track of their points and report them after they donate the food,” Ayala Varela said. “This will help lessen the amount of contact with the food and donors and let us continue forth with the drive.”

While the contest can make the food drive light-hearted and fun, it is important to remember there is a bigger cause than just winning points for teams.

“This food drive is held to help out the families who struggle to have everyday meals,” Ayala Varela said. “Regardless of the situation these people may be in, they all deserve a meal.”

Campus food drive

When: April 5-9

Where to drop off: Parker Student Union

Teams will compete against each other in one of the following categories:

• Student Organizations/Student Class Sections/Sports Team

• Academic Departments and Professional Organizations

• Campus Offices

10 pts will be awarded for the items on which the Food Bank is particularly low:

• Cereal

• Peanut Butter

• Soup

• Crackers

• Juice

• Canned meat

• Nuts

• Pasta (except for Ramen Noodles and similar items)

 1 pt will be awarded for all other non-perishable food items.

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