Sodexo Holds BRAFB Food Drive

Sodexo’s annual food drive has begun and will continue through Nov. 14 in order to raise 2,000 pounds of food for the Lynchburg community. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to donate food items to the bins located in the Reber-Thomas Dining, Center, Jerry Falwell Library, CASAS and the LaHaye Rotunda.

Sodexo is attempting a new initiative this year by instating a goal to raise 2,000 pounds of food for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (BRAFB). According to Sodexo, they will match up to $2,000 worth of the donations.

“We’ve never had barrels fill up this quickly, so I think it’s because we actually set a goal this year,” Shelby Burton, the marketing manager of Liberty University’s Sodexo team, said.

The purpose of the food drive is to provide food for those in need throughout the Blue Ridge areas. According to the BRAFB website, over 27 million meals, 31 million pounds of food and 9 million pounds of produce are provided on average each month. The BRAFB also states that 49,300 children and 29,010 seniors are served each month.

Burton said Sodexo hosts the food drive each year to give students the opportunity to have an impact in their community.

“If you have a dollar, you have the funds,” Burton said. “I would encourage (students) to … take a look at (their) funds and think about … where they could sacrifice just one time to go and get a few cans to donate.”

Some of the most needed items include canned tuna and salmon, cereal, peanut butter, powdered milk, canned fruits and vegetables, baby food and formula, boxed pasta and rice, and boxed macaroni and cheese. The drive is also collecting toothbrushes, soap, baby diapers and feminine products. Items must not be in glass containers.

For those who wish to see how far along the food drive is, Sodexo has a display of how much food has been raised at the entrance of the Reber-Thomas Dining Center.

For more information about BRAFB, visit www.brafb.org.

Sturek is the campus editor for the Liberty Champion.