Thank you for opening your pantries and your wallets.
Because of the BYU community, many Utahns won’t go hungry this holiday season. Compared to last year, 45 percent more food was collected across campus, and this in a year when local donations were expected to take a hit while people donated to hurricane victims.
Students and faculty are to be commended for their efforts in the latest food fight. The annual collection has become an important (and maybe the most meaningful, when all is said and done) part of the BYU-Utah rivalry. Since the results of the University of Utah’s efforts have not yet been released, a winner cannot be declared at this time. In charitable competitions, however, winning is really not that important.
What is commendable is the fact that this school collected more than 17,000 pounds of food to donate to the local food bank. With the amount collected from student wards and other areas around town, more than 126,000 pounds of food were donated. Along with the food, $16,000 from the sale of “Y” marks has been given. That is up from $10,000 collected last year.
The annual food drive has become a great example of the good that can come from a community pulling together as friends (and enemies) in a common cause to help their neighbors. Jim Thomas, director of Community Action Food Bank here in Provo, said that the bank’s shelves were mostly empty and they would have run out of food this month if it wasn’t for the donations from the drive.
The ideal scenario next year would be a full food bank all year long. Because of the drive, the shelves are now filled. Let’s keep them that way. People shouldn’t wait until rivalry week or the holidays to donate a small portion of their sustenance. It’s something that could, and should, be done all year round.
So thanks again, BYU, for putting food on families’ tables this Christmas. No doubt, our efforts will be appreciated by many.
