DWU Freshman Food Drive set Sunday

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The annual Dakota Wesleyan University Freshman Food Drive begins Sunday.

Every fall, freshmen and transfer students are encouraged to take part in orientation weekend, which is filled with activities to help new students acclimate to the campus, the community and meet new friends. One of those activities is the annual food drive for the Salvation Army Food Pantry. Freshmen and new students will canvass the city, going door-to-door asking for donations. This year’s drive will be from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Last year’s food drive netted an all-time record of 3,994 pounds of food, up 1,594 from the year before.

Some of the items most needed by the Salvation Army Food Pantry are spaghetti sauce, cereal, dried and canned beans, soup, boxed meals, dessert mixes, macaroni and cheese, tuna and pasta.

The food pantry is at about half-capacity, said Sheena Loudner, Salvation Army case worker.

Loudner said that the pantry is in the highest demand when households have to make budgeting decisions, such as buying back-toschool supplies and even attending the Corn Palace Festival. She expects the pantry to have a lot of traffic this Friday and the following Monday. According to the Salvation Army’s statistics, 2,622 bags of food were distributed in the months of May through July this year.

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