Can the Griz is Coming Up, Here Are This Year’s Most Needed Items
The 21st annual Can the Griz food drive begins on November 6, 2020. Every year, Montana State University and the University of Montana compete to see which school can collect the most donations for its local food bank.
Can the Griz begins at 12:00 a.m. on Friday, November 6, and runs through 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 20.
You can also donate to Town & Country locations on 19th Avenue, South 11th, and in Belgrade!
Last year, MSU and Bobcat supporters in Bozeman and beyond donated 230,096 pounds of food and $206,550 to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. UM supporters raised 213,438 pounds of food plus $208,421 for their food bank. Bozeman and the MSU community have won the competition 17 out of the 20 years it has been held.
The Gallatin Valley Food Bank is always excited and grateful for this competition, Last year's efforts were especially important when the pandemic hit. While some food banks were closed, the Gallatin Valley Food Bank was fortunate to continue to distribute food to families and individuals.
said Randi Maiers, program manager for student organizations in the Office of Student Engagement.
Can the Griz will be a little different this year due to safety precautions surrounding COVID-19, so the Gallatin Valley Food Bank wants the community to know what is most needed this year ahead of time.
Below is a list of the most needed items this year.
There will be changes to this year’s competition due to the coronavirus pandemic. One change is that the winner will be announced on social media instead of during the Brawl of the Wild football game, due to the Big Sky Conference football season being postponed to the spring because of the pandemic.
Join Will from KISS FM at the Town & Country Foods location on South 11th on Friday, November 13th from 2:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. You can drop-off your monetary and nonperishable food items for Can the Griz during that time.
You can drop nonperishable food donations of at collection locations throughout Bozeman to support those in need in Gallatin County. Donations directly to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank may be dropped off at its location from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on weekdays to keep the parking lot open for drive-through food distribution in the afternoon. For a list of drop-off locations throughout Gallatin County, click here.
Large donation drop offs will need to be scheduled in advance with Jon Horn at jhorn@thehrdc.org. Receiving will occur at an off-site location on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 19 and 20. The food bank will be able to receive moderate donations from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Nov. 20.
Monetary donations may also be made directly to the Gallatin County Food Bank by clicking here. Each dollar counts as 1 pound of food.
Bobcat supporters can add their contributions to MSU’s total by telling the food bank their donation is for Can the Griz.
Can the Griz is coordinated by the MSU Office of Student Engagement and the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. Community members interested in more details on how to participate or volunteer can visit the Can the Griz website or its Facebook and Instagram pages. For more information or to host a collection box, please contact the MSU Office of Student Engagement at 406-994-2933 or email canthegriz@montana.edu.