Lupe, along with the MSU Student Food Bank, the Rebounders Club and the MSU School of Packaging, held a food drive this weekend, which started with a luncheon on Friday and concluded on Sunday.

This is Lupe’s 23rd year chairing this event, dating back to before former MSU basketball head coach Jud Heathcote, and she holds it in January for a specific reason.

“The food banks' shelves are depleted after the holidays, so I take the month of January to do my food drive,” Lupe said. “The need is so great in our community.”

The need is approximately 106,790 people in greater Lansing who don’t have food security, according to the Greater Lansing Food Bank website.

Lupe said she splits the proceeds from the drive, between the Greater Lansing Food Bank and the MSU Student Food Bank.

The MSU Student Food Bank uses its portion of the proceeds to buy groceries for students at MSU without a meal plan, Nicole Edmonds, director of the MSU Student Food Bank and graduate student, said.

“There’s a huge variety of students: international students, families, undergrads, doctoral students, all over the board,” Edmonds said. “Any student is free to use us, if they so choose.”

Lupe said her favorite part of putting together the food drive is bringing volunteers together to help raise money to feed people in the Lansing area.

“(The best part is) watching the student volunteers feel good about doing something for others and to help feed the needy,” Lupe said.

Lupe said before the food drive started on Friday, she already received a check of about $2,000 toward her cause.

Edmonds said what Lupe has done for the East Lansing and greater Lansing is helpful, especially since student organizations aren’t allowed to fundraise at sporting events.

“Because of her, we are sort of grandfathered in and none of this would be possible without her,” Edmonds said. “I feel quite fortunate to be a part of that.”