The University of Tampa is just one of 480 campuses across the country participating in Cans Across America this year.
The event is a national effort organized by Sodexho Campus Services, and this is the second year that Sodexho has put on this event. The point of the program is to stop hunger around the nation.
“Sodexho’s Stop Hunger Mission is to be a driving and creative force that contributes to a hunger-free nation,” says Greg Yost, who works with Sodexho’s public relations department.
Sodexho did not have any co-sponsors on a national level, but this year UT’s Cans Across America will be co-sponsored by Student Productions, who will host an event to bolster the drive starting on Wednesday, Nov. 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Vaughn Court Yard. The actual donation period will be 24 hours long.
UT came in third place in its region last year for the most weight collected in canned food.
“This event is not based on how many cans are collected. This event is for the most non-perishable food collected in a 24-hour period. Our goal this year is to break the current Guinness World Record of 221,028.85 pounds held by Regina and District Food Bank, Canada. Our attempt at breaking this record will involve the combined effort of all Sodexho campus dining accounts across the country, ” says Christine O’Connor, Marketing Specialist of Sodexho’s Campus Services.
The world record at the time of last year’s event attempt was 156,889.34 pounds.
Sodexho’s total was 112,869.93 pounds, 44,019.41 pounds short of the world record.
Though last year’s total fell just short of the world record, campus dining centers across the nation are getting set to make this years event bigger and better than last year.
Students who bring a perishable food can to this event will receive two tickets which are redeemable at novelty booths.
Some of the novelties that Student Productions will bring to this event will include wax hands, tie-dye shirts, spin-art, and cake decorating. There will also be free food and gimmicks along with music and prizes.
All the cans collected during the 24-hour period will be weighed in pounds to determine if Sodexho has beat the world record.
After the cans are weighed, it is up to the individual units to decide which charity will get the food.
Most of the units donate their food to local food pantries.
The University of Tampa has a goal of not only helping Sodexho’s national campus services beat the world record, but beating their own record of last year by coming in first place in the region.
“I would love to see our whole campus involved in this event,” says Wade Burghardt-Culp, University of Tampa’s unit marketing specialist for Sodexho’s dining services.
To get involved or for more information, students can contact Wade Burghardt-Culp at sodexhomarketing@ut.edu.