In an effort to help the community’s needy, the Organizations Food Drive kicked off on Monday. The theme for this year’s drive is “A Helping Hand for the Hungry.”

All the food products collected from the drive will be donated to Feed My People of Eau Claire.

Freshman Sarah Bolstad, organizations director for Student Senate, is in charge of the food drive, and said that the purpose of the event is to get the participating organizations active and helping out in the community.

Feed My People really needs the food, she said, so the groups are just glad to help out.

All of the organizations on campus are invited to take part in the food drive, Bolstad said, and so far there have been more than 20 that will be participating for sure.

Some participating organizations include the American Production and Inventory Control Society, the Honors Program Organization, Golden Key National Honor Society, the Society of Participating Honors Students and Amnesty International.

Senior Natalie Strawn, president of the Student Wisconsin Education Association, said her organization decided to get involved after Senate approached them about the idea. It’s for a great cause, Strawn said, as the Eau Claire area has plenty of people in need.

Strawn said her group is involved just to help out.

“That’s what we’re here for,” she said.

Strawn said that SWEA, which has 189 members, should collect about 100 canned food items. That’s realistic, she said.

Bolstad also mentioned that the drive is kind of competitive in nature as the winning organization will win a pizza party at its next meeting. That gives the organizations something to shoot for, she said.

Strawn agrees with the benefits of competition among the food drive participants.

“Maybe the competitive aspect will help produce a greater result,” she said.

The drive ends on May 3, and drop-off is on the same day from noon to 4 p.m. at the Student Senate office in Davies Center.