March 11, 2015

Kimberly Wethal

UW-Whitewater Student Safety Organization President Robert Krien has thought of a way to prove to the Whitewater community that the university isn’t just a bunch of “rowdy kids.”

The Student Safety Organization (SSO) started its first-ever food drive on March 2, that will end on March 13.

The organization was looking for a way to give back to the community, and a food drive was their first thought.

“I spoke with the people at the Whitewater Food Pantry, and they said that their supplies are very low this year,” Krien said. “I asked if there was anything we could do for them, and they asked if we could do a campus-wide food drive.”

The food drive started off  with lower numbers of donations than anticipated.  This caused SSO to extend the food drive an extra week in order to give the Whitewater Food Pantry a more generous donation to the community.

“Imagine if every student in Whitewater donated one time,” Krien said. “That’s 12,000 items. I’d like to show up at the Whitewater Food Pantry with a truck full of stuff.”

While the pantry is low in stock in general, Krien says their number one need is jars of peanut butter.

Non-perishables like rice, pasta, canned soups and vegetables round up their list of most-needed food items because residents can get a large number of meals out of those items.

Red donation barrels are located all around campus, with one each in Laurentide, Hyer, Upham and Winther Hall.

There are two blue buckets by the information desk in the University Center and three in Hyland on the third floor. “We should show the community how much the University of Whitewater really cares,” Krien said. “That’s really what I’m trying to get at, and it’s not just for the Student Safety Organization, but for the entire campus. It gives the college a really good image within the community, and it shows you can do something for the community.”

SSO will be conducting another food drive later in the semester for the Whitewater Food Pantry.

The organization will also host a walk-a-thon for Treyton Kilar, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2010.