FOOD for Lane County - UO and State Drive

University of Oregon Employees Make State Drive Their Own

Generous. Creative. Enthusiastic. Compassionate. When it comes to the Governor’s State Employees Food Drive, University of Oregon faculty and staff are all that and more.

Every year, University of Oregon employees come up with new ways to raise food and funds for this annual drive, the largest fund drive in the state. With 3,367 employees and more than 50 departments, the university is the largest organization in Lane County to participate in February's drive.

The University of Oregon has consistently raised more food and more funds year after year. At the end of last year’s drive, the university received the award for “Most Improved.” Faculty and staff collected more than 104,000 pounds of food in 2004. The following year they set their goal at 125,000 and collected more than 138,378 pounds. This year’s goal: 150,000 pounds!

"This is a collective goal that we’re all involved in,” said Karen Scheeland, UO Public and Government Affairs Coordinator. Scheeland chairs the drive at the university.

It's obvious from the level of creativity and enthusiasm that employees take real ownership in the drive, have a lot of fun and have a great deal of compassion for the cause of ending hunger in Lane County. From food drives and bake sales to online auctions and garage sales, UO employees find creative ways to raise food, funds and awareness about hunger in our community.

For one month every year, FOOD for Lane County barrels and cash jars can be seen all around campus. But that's not all.

For Brian Stanley, Assistant Director of Admissions, the drive means baking snickerdoodles, lots and lots of snickerdoodles. He sells them, regular and chocolate, for $5 a dozen. Last year he sold 153 dozen!

The staff at Human Resources find fun ways to collect protein foods by building a bridge of beans and collecting canned tuna (“You can tune a piano but you can’t tuna fish!”).

Computer Science employees chose to strike out hunger last year at Strike City Bowling Alley.

"Two games and shoe rental cost $5.50 per person," explained Fiscal Manager Kristy Vachon. "We charged $8 and donated $2.50 to the drive." The department also sold baked goods, Euphoria milk and dark chocolate hearts and sweetheart soaps.

"I'm pretty passionate about this food drive," said Vachon. "It’s about giving.“ Vachon and her husband also volunteer for FOOD for Lane County’s Food Rescue Express.

The School of Journalism organized a Spam Fest and online silent auction. The Office of the Dean sold home-baked cookies and auctioned off an orchid. Academic Advising held a "Recycled Treasures" rummage sale. The Office of the Provost is one of many departments that sold Euphoria chocolates. Genevieve Roesler Beecher, Office Specialist in the Department of Religious Studies and Judaic Studies, made and sold origami creatures for $1 each. Her paper creations include seals, whales, sharks, sting rays, ravens, butterflies, cats and of course, cranes. For Classics, Religious Studies, Humanities and Physics, having food barrels around to collect the food is all the incentive their departments needed. Many thanks to Facility Services for getting all those barrels where they need to be.

In 2004, the University of Oregon received Oregon Food Bank’s prestigious Hunger Buster Award, presented annually and in recognition of the University’s outstanding ongoing efforts to combat hunger. The award recognized the University’s support of FOOD for Lane County in numerous ways over the year, including the Governor’s State Employees Food Drive; Food Rescue Express, which contributes tens of thousands of pounds of food every year and faculty, staff and student activities to raise awareness about hunger.

Thank you, University of Oregon faculty and staff, for your compassion, generosity and enthusiasm!