25th annual Can the Griz food drive launches Nov. 9

BOZEMAN - The annual Can the Griz food drive, a friendly off-field competition between Montana State University and the University of Montana, will be collecting donations Nov. 9-23. The battle to see which school and community can collect the most donations for their local food bank is now in its 25th year.

"Can the Griz is the Gallatin Valley Food Bank's biggest food drive of the year - the food and money raised in these two weeks will help keep the shelves stocked well into next year," said Kim Cleary, community engagement program manager at the MSU Office of Student Engagement, which hosts the event.

The food drive begins Saturday, Nov. 9, and stops at the end of the first quarter of the annual Brawl of the Wild football game between MSU and UM on Saturday, Nov. 23, in Bobcat Stadium. The winner will be announced at the game, on the Can the Griz social media accounts and at canthegriz.org.

"We've seen an increasing need for the food bank's services in Bozeman and at MSU over the past few years," Cleary said. "The Gallatin Valley Food Bank and Bounty of the Bridgers campus pantry depend on the generous support that Can the Griz brings. It's inspiring to watch our community step up year after year, especially as demand for these resources grows."

How to donate

• Nonperishable food donations should be taken to collection locations. A list of locations can be found at canthegriz.org/donation-drop-off-locations and drop-off bins are at most local grocery stores.
• Garden produce can be dropped off at the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, 206 E. Griffin Drive in Bozeman.
• Donations can also be dropped off directly at the Gallatin Valley Food Bank from 8 a.m. to noon Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays.
• Large donation drop-offs are welcome but must be scheduled with Jon Horn, operations manager at the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, by writing to [email protected].

More information on drop-off times and details can be found on the Can the Griz website.

Monetary donations may also be made directly by visiting gallatinvalleyfoodbank.org/donate. Each dollar counts as a pound of food. Bobcat supporters can add their contributions to MSU's total by telling the food bank their donation is for Can the Griz.

Last year, MSU and Bobcat supporters donated the equivalent of 596,877 pounds of food to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank for the community, the result of combining pounds and dollars together for the contest, though Cleary noted it wasn't enough to top UM's corresponding food drive, which brought in 870,192 pounds. Bozeman and the MSU community have won the competition 19 out of the 24 years it has been held.

Donations to Can the Griz help the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, as well as MSU's Bounty of the Bridgers food pantry, year-round. The Gallatin Valley Food Bank is one of the HDRC Food and Nutrition Programs' initiatives. Bounty of the Bridgers, housed in MSU'sStudent Wellness Center, is a student-driven initiative to combat food insecurity for students, faculty and staff.

Information on how to participate or volunteer is at canthegriz.org or on Facebook and Instagram @msucanthegriz. For even more information or to host a collection box, contact the MSU Office of Student Engagement at 406-994-2933 or email [email protected].