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Every penny and every pound has been added up and the final numbers are here. In 2016, Cans Around the Oval collected 41,670 pounds of nonperishable items and $57,714 in cash donations, for a total impact equivalent to 330,244 pounds of food to feed hungry families in Larimer County.

That’s over 160 tons of sharing to mark the 30^th anniversary of the largest one-day food drive for the Food Bank for Larimer County.

The Food Bank can purchase 5 pounds of food for every $1 of cash donated, explained Jenn Rieskamp, program coordinator for the Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement office at CSU, which leads the Cans effort every year.

“Participating in Cans Around the Oval allows CSU students, faculty, staff and community members to come together and make a huge impact and difference in the Fort Collins and Larimer County community,” she said. “Congratulations on a job well done by everyone involved.”

The Food Bank serves about 30,000 Larimer County residents each year through its two Food Share pantries; 35 percent of its clients are children and seniors. It also provides nearly 80,000 scratch-cooked meals through the Kids Café program as well as more than 100,000 healthy in-school snacks and 23,000 backpacks filled with food for weekends and school breaks, and partners with 84 nonprofits to help them serve their clients nutritious meals throughout the year. The cash donations help the Food Bank source fresh bread, meat, dairy and produce for those in need.

The donations raised through Cans Around the Oval will help address the continuing issue of hunger in Larimer County, according to Heather Buoniconti, development director for the Food Bank.

“This is an amazing partnership that unites so many in our community and the record amounts of food and funds generated this year will have a tremendous impact for the thousands of individuals and families we serve,” she said.  “We are truly grateful to CSU and for their ongoing support of the Food Bank and our vision of a hunger-free Larimer County.”

Friendly competition for a good cause

Each year, colleges, departments and units on campus and organizations throughout Larimer County engage in a little friendly competition to help boost donations to Cans Around the Oval.

Based on total impact – food items plus cash donations – here are the winners for each category for 2016. The College of Business[1] is the repeat top food gatherer for the 10^th year in a row.