Did you know?

Of those who visit Minnesota food shelves:

• 50 percent are children
• 43 percent have jobs but need to choose between paying for food and paying other bills
• 20 percent are senior citizens

To help alleviate hunger in the Twin Cities, the Office of Academic Affairs will sponsor a food drive from Wednesday, April 14, through Friday, April 23.

The goal for the spring food drive is to raise $404 and collect 1,205 pounds of food. If this goal is achieved, the results for 2009-10 will be double that of 2008-09.

Collection boxes will be located throughout the St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses. Donations will be given to the Keystone Community Services Midway Food Shelf. Checks can be made out to Keystone Community Services. In addition to gifts of  food and money, meals from meal plans can be donated.

The most needed food items are:

• Canned meat products (tuna, stew, chili, etc.)
• Dried beans
• Rice
• Boxed dinners (Hamburger Helper, etc.)
• Macaroni and cheese
• Canned soup
• Pasta
• Cooking oil
• Sugar
• Baking mixes

Also needed are personal care items:

• Bar soap
• Shampoo
• Deodorant
• Laundry detergent
• Paper products
• Toothbrushes
• Diapers

Meal-plan donation

Meal-plan meal donations will be taken during lunch and dinner on Wednesday, April 21, outside the Student Dining Hall in Murray-Herrick Campus Center, and on Thursday, April 22, at The Grill.

Collection box locations:

• Collection boxes will be located around the St. Paul campus, including the Office of Academic Affairs, the Grill, the Commuter Center, Koch Commons, the Luann Dummer Center for Women and various department offices.
• On the Minneapolis campus, collection boxes will be placed near the Minneapolis Campus Services Office in Terrence Murphy Hall, near the Scholars desk in Opus Hall, on the second floor of the School of Law and in the Schulze Hall skyway.

For more information, e-mail Kathryn Pogin.