UO staff put the enjoyable in fundraising throughout meals drive

The University of Oregon neighborhood contributed the equal of 104,433 meals to neighborhood members in want through the Governor’s State Employees Food Drive in March. 

This beneficiant whole was achieved by way of payroll deductions, on-line giving and different fundraising occasions. Food barrel and bin donations got here to 688 kilos.

Several departments took half in artistic fundraisers that gave coworkers a sense of camaraderie and generosity. University Advancement, University Communications and the UO Foundation teamed up for the aggressive Dough for Ducks Bake Off on the Ford Alumni Center.

Across Franklin Boulevard, Administrative Services employees discovered the ins and outs of constructing recent sauerkraut from the Provost’s Administrative Services Team’s Brandy Chenoweth in help of the meals drive and to advertise wholesome consuming and sustainability. In addition to going dwelling with handmade jars of this tasty probiotic deal with, attendee contributions helped Team Sauerkraut breach the $1,000 mark in donations and overflow this yr’s Food for Lane County barrel.

“In Johnson Hall, we used the food drive as an opportunity to have some fun and raise funds through a building-wide bake sale,” mentioned Deborah Butler from the Office of the Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and one of many meals drive coordinators. “Because folks are often very busy and it can be hard to find time for a traditional event that everyone can attend, we opted for a silent auction format using a shared electronic bid sheet that was sent via email at the beginning of the day. We’re fortunate to have some amazing bakers in the building who were willing to donate auction items — cakes, cookies, healthy snacks and even dog biscuits! Winners were so excited to pick up their auction items at the end of the day and GiveGab made payment really easy. We were able to raise almost $600 from that one event, and people had fun with the friendly bidding competition.”

Those on the Eugene campus can proceed to help Food for Lane County by attending the Empty Bowls Sale May 1 or searching for produce on the new youth farm when it opens in June on Seavey Loop Road. The Oregon Food Bank in Portland has many volunteer opportunities.

—Jennifer Archer, University Communications

—Top photograph: Brandy Chenoweth leads a workshop on making sauerkraut.