This week starts the 7th Annual Midwest Conference Canned Food Drive after pausing the initiative for a year due to COVID restrictions. Running from October 20 – November 16, the Foresters will collect non-perishable food donations from students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and any other Forester fan who is able to give.
Over the next four weeks, each conference school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) organizes the collection of donated goods, and then donates them to a local food pantry. This year, Lake Forest’s SAAC and Athletic Council will be donating the collected foods to The Shields Pantry in Shields Township, just north of Lake Forest.
The Drive is also a challenge with all the Midwest Conference schools competing to see which one can collect the most canned goods over the four week period. Two years ago, during the 6th annual Drive, the Foresters took fourth place overall, moving up one spot over their previous year’s finish.
During this time, Lake Forest College, in addition to collecting canned goods for the Midwest Conference challenge, also raises funds through the Foresters $4 for a Cause Initiative. This effort gathers donations for four different organizations and foundations. For every four dollars contributed, one dollar goes to the American Cancer Society, Lake Forest College Annual Fund, the selected food pantry, and Lurie Children’s Hospital.
In an effort increase the number of monetary donations from previous years, SAAC and Athletic Council will aim to get 100% of student-athletes to donate to the Forester $4 for a Cause initiative during this year's drive.
If you plan to visit the College in the next four weeks and would like to donate non-perishable food items to help the Foresters win this year’s challenge, please contact Amanda Walker at awalker@lakeforest.edu to schedule your drop off.