Cans Across America
Sodexho food drive attempts to break record

Rocky Orlando | staff writer

On Nov. 7, Sodexho held its second annual Cans Across America drive. Sodexho, food and beverage supplier for St. Michael's College, was attempting to break a Guinness World Record by collecting more than 221,028.85 pounds of non-perishable foods within a 24-hour period.

Sodexho helps the hungry

Greg Yost, a Sodexho spokesperson and manager of the company’s university sector, was the planner behind the food drive. Sodexho’s main goal, other than providing quality service to its clients, is fighting hunger, Yost says.

Collection buckets were set up in Alliot for the day of the food drive. Larry Frisoli, photo

“We try our best to improve lives everyday,” he says.

The Sodexho Corporation knows the importance of giving back to the local community. The company doesn’t just help people during the food drive, but rather, throughout the entire year, Yost says.

This is the second year Sodexho has attempted to break the Guinness World Record. The company first got the idea to break the record when they discovered there was an actual world record for collection of non-perishable food items, Yost says.

Last year, the Cans Across America drive fell short of the current
record. Tying together a food drive and an attempt to break a world record is intended to motivate students to get involved, Yost says.  

“It would be nice to break the record, but in the end it’s about
collecting food,” he says.

The results of the drive will not be known for another month.

“Guinness is very rigid about keeping track of records,” Yost says.  “They want to be absolutely sure before about the numbers before they will verify anything.”

Over 500 college campuses nationwide are taking part in the food drive. It takes time to collect all that data and send it into Guinness, Yost says.

If the world record is broken, Sodexho plans to make a national announcement. They will also broadcast it on their Web site and ensure that local campuses are aware, Yost says.

A sense of community

In the Burlington area, the food banks are nearly depleted of resources, says Ellen Breen, food service manager for Sodexho at St. Michael’s.  

“The food banks are of the utmost importance, and right now they are in dire need of our help,” she says.

Sodexho at the University of Vermont also encouraged the students they serve to participate in the drive. Larry Frisoli, photo

Having the food drive take place right before national Hunger and Homelessness Week was not planned. Cans Across America always takes place at this time of year. The weather is getting colder and it is more important for the food banks to be well-stocked. Also, with the holiday season right around the corner, people are in the spirit of giving, Breen says.

“We have always been taught that it is better to give than to receive and this is the time when people can really give back to their communities,” she says.

The food does not go to a national distribution center before it is sent out, but rather to a local food shelf. One aspect of the food drive Sodexho prides itself on is that the food collected by the students will help people around Burlington, Breen says.

On St. Michael’s campus, individual students have been generous with their donations. Even Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts (MOVE) has gotten involved, Breen says.

“The MOVE program has been very helpful in organizing and packing the donations we’ve received,” she says.

Students’ take action

The students are the ones who donate the food and make a difference in the drive.

There were drop-off sites for the cans in both the University of Vermont's Davis Center (pictured) and in Alliot at St. Michael's. Larry Frisoli, photo

“I was unaware of the Guinness World Record when I gave to the drive,” junior Tim Bednar says. “Imagine how much perishable food we could gather if every student at St. Mike’s gave just one item.”

Some of the students who donated gave simply for the purpose of giving.

”The record isn’t as important as knowing that the food I donated will directly help people in Burlington,” Bednar says.