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News: Roane State collects more than 6,000 items in Annual Food Drive Challenge

Canned food on shelves in a pantry.

January 2, 2025

Roane State is once again the top Tier 1 community college in the College System of Tennessee’s 26th Annual Food Drive Challenge.

Students, faculty, and staff members collected 6,108 items heading into the holidays, which helped stock shelves at campus food pantries and supported local food programs. Roane State also reported the most donations in its respective category in 2023.

The effort spanned the entirety of the state, bringing Tennessee’s community and technical colleges together for a single goal – to help students, friends, and neighbors in need. Food and monetary donations were accepted, with cash counted as two food items for every dollar. The equivalent of 110,851 food items were collected from all 23 participants.

The Food Drive Challenge was conceived in 1999 by the Student Government Presidents Council. Campus communities have kept the campaign going annually since then with a friendly competition to see which college can collect the most within each enrollment-based tier.

Including the 2024 collections which wrapped up in early December, more than 1.8 million items of food and funds have been donated over the 26 years of the Challenge.

In addition to the Food Drive, most colleges also participated in other local programs in the spirit of giving back to their communities. Roane State connected with a local nonprofit organization to provide children’s gifts to parenting students.

“Everyone is a winner in this challenge! What a wonderful way to support students and give back to our communities,” said Dr. Heidi Leming, Tennessee Board of Regents Vice Chancellor for Student Success & Strategic Partnerships, whose office coordinates the Food Drive Challenge.

Food insecurity is a major challenge on college campuses. A 2023 report, Food Insecurity and Higher Education, by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) cited research concluding that students experiencing food insecurity are less likely to excel academically and more likely to report stress levels that hinder their ability to focus on their studies.

“We all know food insecurity doesn’t end with the ringing in of a new year,” said Dr. Lisa Steffensen, Roane State's dean of students. “We’re so grateful for the generosity of our campus communities as we put the needs of our students first to help them succeed.”

Monetary donations for the food pantries are accepted year round and can be made online at knowledgemantra.net/donate. Donors may designate their gift for a specific pantry or choose a “general” option so that donations go to the area of greatest need.

All Roane State Food Pantry items are free and available to students from any campus. The college operates full service campus pantries in Roane County, Oak Ridge, Morgan County, and Cumberland County. For more information on this resource, visit knowledgemantra.net/foodpantry.

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