MSU-Northern contributes to food pantry for students during fall break

People can contributing to Montana State University-Northern students who will spend their fall break on campus or alone, relieving some of that by food donations.

Campus sports teams and organizations will participate in a competition collecting and distributing non-perishable items to students who can’t be with their families over the Thanksgiving break.

One of the organizers, Associated Students of Montana State University-Northern President Riley Mortenson, said they wanted to give something to students who have to spend the holiday away from home.

The food drive competition between all of the clubs and organizations on campus is Wednesday through Nov 11, groups on campus will be going out in the community and collecting donations, Mortenson said.

“We would like it to be non-contact, so we are asking community members to put any food they would like to be donated out on their porches, so we are able to collect it that way,” she said.

A box to drop off food will also be placed at Independence Bank.

From Wednesday through Nov. 12, people also can drop food for the drive off at the Student Union Building on campus.

People can call Tammy Boles, advisors to the Associated Students of MSUN advisor and Northern’s director of activities and events, at 265-3732 for more information.

Members of the community can also contribute money for the effort, which can be donated by giving to one of the organizations or they can send it in to the foundation office, Mortenson said.

People can also donate online through the foundation website at https://msunfoundation.org/primary-general-donation-page under “Giving Opportunities” and “Donations.”

All of the sports teams are participating in the food drive competition and they are wary of going door-to-door, Mortenson said.

“A lot of them have opted to just have donation boxes set up in the offices on campus and will be contacting their host families and getting donations that way,” she said.