C.A.N.S. Around The Oval 2025 is officially underway, kicking off the 39th year of one of the oldest and largest community food drives in Larimer County.

The monthlong Colorado State University tradition brings together students, faculty and community members to raise food and funds for the Food Bank for Larimer County and Rams Against Hunger + Basic Needs at CSU. This year’s goals are to raise $50,000, collect 18,000 pounds of food and expand education on food insecurity and basic needs.

Participants range from CSU colleges and student groups to local schools and community organizations. Teams can earn points by collecting food, donating funds and attending CANversations, which are discussions about food security. Winners will be announced after Collection Day Oct. 15. 

Maddie Potter, a third-year engineering student who co-leads the Scott Scholars Volunteer Committee, is spearheading the C.A.N.S. push for the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering. Potter talked about her team’s past efforts outside King Soopers and their plans to expand that strategy this year.

“That’s where we’ve gotten most of our physical donations, is we go and stand outside of King Soopers and say, ‘Hey, if you are willing and able, we would love a can of soup from you or a bag of pasta or something.” Potter said. “We’re trying to expand a lot more. Instead of doing one collection day, we’re going to do three.”

“I also see that there is a need for the drive to continue to grow and evolve and change. When I first got in here, I noticed that the way that the drive was structured was really performative. Like, everybody (does) a big food drive one time a year, we all have a fun time, we pat ourselves on the back and then we go about our lives, and we don’t think about food insecurity.” –Kathryn Conrad, Basic Needs senior program coordinator

Potter also reflected on the past three years of coordinating C.A.N.S. for the College of Engineering and why she continues to contribute to the event.

“I loved being able to get out of the campus a little bit and really feel like I was helping people,” Potter said. “I think that’s why I’ve stuck with it so long.”

Kathryn Conrad, CSU’s senior program coordinator for Basic Needs, has coordinated C.A.N.S. Around the Oval for the past four years. When asked why C.A.N.S. has persisted for so long, she acknowledged the increased awareness of food insecurity in a post-pandemic world.

“We haven’t been having really in-depth conversations about food and food insecurity until recently,” Conrad said. “The pandemic was a huge catalyst for those conversations. A lot of people got laid off (and) for the first time ever realized that maybe they were one paycheck away from being food insecure. It humanized the issue a lot and brought it down to a point where a lot of people could understand it better.”

C.A.N.S. Around The Oval has proven to have a profound impact on Larimer County. Morgan Villnave, community engagement manager at the Food Bank for Larimer County, reflected on last year’s results. 

“Last year we brought in 19,000 pounds of food,” Villnave said. “Then we brought in over $50,000 as well. So put that all together, we’re roughly getting $123,000 (of) meals just from C.A.N.S. Around The Oval.” 

The drive has continued to bring members of the community together in pursuit of solutions to food insecurity. With that goal in mind, Conrad acknowledged her desire for the drive to continue to grow, encouraging a broader awareness of food insecurity that extends beyond the event and into residents’ daily lives.

“I also see that there is a need for the drive to continue to grow and evolve and change,” Conrad said. “When I first got in here, I noticed that the way that the drive was structured was really performative. Like, everybody (does) a big food drive one time a year, we all have a fun time, we pat ourselves on the back and then we go about our lives, and we don’t think about food insecurity.” 

To address this, Conrad launched CANversations, a series of discussions on food insecurity and the systems that contribute to it. This year’s sessions highlighted campus resources such as budgeting workshops, food access projects, student government and hygiene support. 

“The drive looks a little different now, (and) CANversations is a big part of that,” Conrad said. “The intention with that is to give people an opportunity to put education along with the drive and understand and conceptualize the issue better.”

Villnave drove home the importance of recognizing food insecurity as a hidden issue.

“It helps us reiterate that food insecurity can be a silent problem,” Villnave said. “Just because you don’t know about it, just because it’s quiet, just because you can’t tell if someone is hungry doesn’t mean it’s not happening.”

Reach Claire VanDeventer at life@collegian.com or on social media @rmcollegian.