The food drive began Nov. 1 and runs through Friday with all donations being dropped off at the Engineering Building before being counted and delivered to the MSU Student Food Bank.
“This is the second year we’re doing this and it’s growing and becoming a more recognized event,” said Career Consultant for the College of Engineering Jennifer Jennings. “All of the organizations compete for ‘The Trophy’.”

Each organization receives one point per item they donate to the food drive. The winning team will have their name added to the base of the can trophy.

The Canned Food Wars came about when an engineering student suggested a campus-wide canned food drive to the Engineering Career Counsel. The event was handed off to the Engineering Student Organization and it grew from there.

Any student organization is allowed to participate in the canned food drive. If students would like to participate and they are not members of an on-campus organization, they are able to select an organization to donate the points they earn with their items.

“Right now we have four organizations competing, but it’s still early. Things don’t get interesting until Friday,” said applied engineering sciences senior Eric Thomas, one of the food drive’s coordinators.

President of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and electrical engineering senior Kirk Guotana said that the food drive was something he very much wanted his organization to become involved in.

“We wanted to help those who aren’t as fortunate,” Guotana said. “Not everyone has a vending machine they can put a dollar into and get food after spending 12 hours working on engineering homework.”

Many of the participating organizations have said the canned food drive is something even busy engineering students can take part in and give back to the community.

“Many engineering students get really busy and they don’t have time to volunteer or help out,” Guotana said. “When the College of Engineering provides these opportunities, it gives us a chance to give without taking away from studying.”

Thomas said with the event in its second year, the donations are starting to pick up — last year the event raised nearly a hundred cans, this year Thomas said he expects to well surpass that mark.

“I think it’s on its way to becoming a really recognized event,” Thomas said.

American Institute for Chemical Engineers are taking a different approach to the food drive — they held a single event Tuesday night to drive up interest, said member and chemical engineering junior Max Hartsell

“We decided to hold one event and offer prizes to people for donating items,” Hartsell said. “They get one ticket per item and then we raffle off prizes — I think it really motivates people to give.”