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NEWS / WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
CAMPUS
University staff organizes food drive
BY JANENE GIER jgier@kansan.com
The dollar and a half it takes to buy a 12-pack of Ramen noodles can help feed 12 hungry mouths without breaking your bank.
From July 12 to 16, collection containers will be waiting for your donation all over campus to go toward this year's second food drive for ECKAN Just Food, a partnership of Lawrence food pantries.
Mike Krings,publicrelationscommittee chair for KU's Unclassified Senate, said donations usually decrease during summer months." This becomes a problem, he said, because kids who would normally be getting a good lunch provided to them at school are home in the summer with nothing to eat.
Krings is part of Unclassified and University Support Staff Senates, which are working together to collect as much food as possible for the Lawrence community.
"I would say that all food drives help everybody. We appreciate them, period. They help the hungry," Loring Henderson, director of Lawrence Community Shelter, 214 West 10th Street, said.
Just Food helps a lot of groups.
Henderson said. Its main goal is to more efficiently get food to those who need it, he said.
Just Food annually serves more than 7,000 households and more than 25,000 individuals.
The goal this year is to collect one ton of goods. Last year's food drive collected 1,800 pounds.
Krings said good donation ideas would come from thinking back to summer lunches as a child or teenager. He said students might
have been in this situation, or know someone else who had been.
Gillian Dryton, a senior from Overland Park, said she remembered eating lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches during the summer as a kid. Cheese and crackers would be good donations, too, she said.
"I think they especially need it during the summer because you hear more about food drives and the need for donations at times like Christmas," Dryton said.
Henderson said that although children at the Lawrence Community Shelter don't understand the severity
of the situation, it's the parents that worry.
"Parents' hearts are breaking. They wish they weren't here but they're doing the best they can. The kids, when they're here, they get good food, but it's because of things like your food drive." Henderson said.
Henderson suggested high-protein portable foods like peanut butter, canned beans, soups and tuna
fish.
He also suggested donating easy-to-prepare foods, such as Ramen noodles. For the kids, he suggested low-sugar cereals because, well, kids like cereal, he said.
"Many donations come from employees of the University, but hopefully we are getting donations from students," Krings said.
Tomato SOUP
WHAT TO DONATE
Canned food
Sauces
Cereal
Rice
Peanut Butter
Diapers
Detergent
WHERE TO DONATE
Anschutz Library Burge Union Computer Center Kansas Union - SILC office Parking and Transit Office Strong Hall Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center Watson Library Other locations across campus
For more information or to host a collection point, visit:
www.uss.ku.edu/fooddrive
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