Non-perishable food items can be placed in recycling bins on the curb during collection times or dropped off at East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbot Road; the East Lansing Public Library, 950 Abbot Road; Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road; or the East Lansing Department of Public Works, 1800 E. State Road, East Lansing Environmental Specialist Dave Smith said.

Smith said past city-sponsored food drives have been largely successful, with a typical drive collecting more than 150 grocery bags full of food, and said he hoped this year’s drive would be just as helpful for community members in need.

City officials initially decided to start a food drive during this season because it’s a slow time for many shelters and food banks that typically receive the bulk of donations around holiday seasons, Smith said.

All food donations collected from the drive will be delivered to Haven House, 121 Whitehills Drive, Smith said.

Haven House is a local homeless shelter that has provided food, clothing and shelter to homeless families in the area since 1983, executive director Angie Mayeaux said.

Mayeaux said the drive is appreciated greatly by Haven House representatives and those who benefit from the shelter’s services because it increases the amount and variety of food available to those in need during the summer months.

“When they do this food drive, it helps get a lot more variety (in food), which is nice to be able to give to the clients that come through here,” she said.

The drive additionally makes East Lansing residents more aware of the issues and needs of those Haven House provides services to, she said.

“(The food drive) reminds people that there are still homeless people out there when the holidays are over — brings the issue back to light,” Mayeaux said.

The timing for the food drive also is convenient for students living in off-campus housing to donate to a good cause while moving out of their residencies in the city, Smith said.

“It’s a really easy way to get rid of that extra food (students) no longer need,” he said.

Kaye Eshelman, a Spanish sophomore at Lansing Community College, said she was moving out of her house and back to her hometown of Ann Arbor and likely would participate in the food drive before it ended.

“I definitely have cans in my house, like soup cans I’ve had for months,” she said. “It’s a worthy cause, and I don’t have anywhere else to put (them).”