History of C.A.N.S. Around the Oval

2021 C.A.N.S. Around the Oval Results

To everyone involved, THANK YOU, for making our 35th C.A.N.S. Around The Oval event a success!

As in years past, teams have been ranked according to a point system, which considers pounds of food collected, monetary funds raised, and team attendance for our “CANversation Series” (discussions around food security).  While the Friendly Competition is sure fun, it’s the collective effort that makes such a tremendous impact on the issue of food security in Larimer County.  So, whether your team brought in 10 lbs. of food or $10,000, please know that every dollar and every pound of food makes a difference! In this way, we help the Food Bank of Larimer County accomplish their mission, making our community a stronger and more well-nourished place to call home.

 

                                                                              Total Funds Raised = $66,498.65

 

                                                                            Total lbs. of Food Donated = 19,082

 

Top overall CANtributors for the 2021 C.A.N.S. Around The Oval food and fund-raising event are:

·       First Place: CSU College of Business raised $23,222.31 (equaling 46,444 meals), collected 1137 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 237,956 points

·       Second Place: Office of the VP for Research and Divisions (OVPR) raised $8256.25 (equaling 16,513 meals!), and earned a total of 82,563 points

·       Third Place: Kinard Middle School raised $4,599.40 (equaling 9,199 meals), collected 2,375 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 57,869 points

·       Honorable Mention Fourth Place: Rocky Mountain High School raised $2,995.97 (equaling 5,992 meals), collected 4,269 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 51,679 points

·       Honorable Mention Fifth Place: Dean’s Student Leadership Council raised $3,754.76 (equaling 7,510 meals), collected 764 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 41,418 points

CSU College/Department Teams:

·       First Place: CSU College of Business raised $23,222.31 (equaling 46,444 meals), collected 1137 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 237,956 points

·       Second Place: Office of the VP for Research and Divisions (OVPR) raised $8256.25 (equaling 16,513 meals!), and earned a total of 82,563 points

·       Third Place: VP for Enrollment and Access raised $2,203.33 (equaling 4,407 meals), collected 62 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 22,345 points

·       Honorable Mention Fourth Place: College of Engineering CANtributors raised $1,578.25 (equaling 3,157 meals), collected 507 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 18,316 points

·       Honorable Mention Fifth Place: MarComm – Together we CAN! raised $1,253 (equaling 2,506 meals), collected 144 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 13,247 points

CSU Student Group Teams:

·       First Place: Dean’s Student Leadership Council raised $3754.76 (equaling 7,510 meals), collected 764 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 41,418 points

·       Second Place: Sigma Alpha Epsilon raised $900 (equaling 1,800 meals), earning a total of 9,000 points

·       Third Place: ASCSU Student Government raised $691.81 (equaling 1,384 meals), collected 348 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 8,683 points

·       Fourth Place: Warner College Council collected 577 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 2,885 points

·       Honorable Mention Fifth Place: CSU Finance Club raised 288.30 (equaling 577 meals), and earned a total of 2,883 points

·       Honorable Mention Sixth Place: CSU Liberal Arts Dean’s Leadership Council raised $11.80 (equaling 234 meals), collected 41.8 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 1,477 points

Local School Teams:

·       First Place: Kinard Middle School raised $4,599.40 (equaling 9,199 meals), collected 2,375 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 57,869 points

·       Second Place: Rocky Mountain High School raised $2,995.97 (equaling 5,992 meals), collected 4,269 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 51,679 points

·       Third Place: Riffenburgh Elementary raised $1,451 (equaling 2,902 meals), collected 920 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 19,108 points

·       Honorable Mention Fourth Place: Preston Middle School raised $711.25 (equaling 1423 meals), collected 1,300 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 13,611 points

·       Honorable Mention Fifth Place: McGraw Elementary raised $732.81 (equaling 1,465 meals), collected 929 lbs. of food, and earned a total of 11,971 points

History of C.A.N.S. Around the Oval

Celebrating 36 Years of Tradition! 

C.A.N.S. Around the Oval is an example of how one individual can truly make a difference.  It started with a single person thinking of an idea, another seeing its merit, and an entire community coming together around this, now, University tradition.  It demonstrates our commitment to collectively support fellow community members who are food insecure and be creative and collaborative with our contributions.  

Before becoming the Student Leadership, Involvement & Community Engagement (SLiCE) office, in 1986 the Office of Community Services (OCS) consisted of one graduate student, Victoria Keller, and three work-study undergraduate students.  One afternoon, a journalism student asked Keller to read over a two-page assignment the student wrote proposing a canned food drive.  Inspired by the proposal, Keller contacted the then Director of the Food Bank for Larimer County, Sandy Bowden.  Bowden coined the name “Cans Around The Oval” and, although Bowden was unable to help plan the event that year, Keller and two other students decided to take on the efforts of organizing the event themselves. 

The first Collection Day made a huge impact on the individuals organizing the event; they knew each donated canned food item signified progress.  Their excitement spilled over into physically placing cans around CSU’s iconic Oval.  Although the cans could only line a quarter of The Oval at that time, the enthusiasm surrounding their accomplishment was strong and would become a legacy for subsequent years.  

Keller coordinated the event as a graduate student for two years, then submitted a proposal to grow OCS into a fully funded and staffed office.  She was turned down.  Not one to surrender, Keller and a few other students organized a University-wide student fee referendum and succeeded, turning OCS into a student fee–funded office.  She was hired after graduation and led the OCS until 2004.  Overtime, OCS became the Service-Learning and Volunteer Programs (SLVP) office, then the Student Leadership and Community Engagement (SLCE) office in 2005, and eventually the SLiCE office in 2007. 

Truly an inspiration, C.A.N.S. Around The Oval’s has grown into this highly anticipated and ongoing CSU tradition each fall.  What started with one student wanting to make a difference over 30 years ago, has evolved into thousands of people from within the CSU and local community coming together each fall and donating and participating in fun, creative, and collaborative ways. 

Despite such encouraging gains over the years, hunger continues to impact our community members – including CSU students.  In 2013, CSU conducted a survey finding that approximately 1 in 10 CSU students faces food insecurity.  This number, even then, highlights how much this food drive is still needed today.  Yet, in 2019, this program evolved into a food and fund drive asking donors for C.A.N.S. “cash and nutritious staples” (including online monetary donations and healthy non-perishable food items) to enhance the quality and quantity of food to better meet community needs.  Today, the Food Bank for Larimer County continues to receive all C.A.N.S. Around The Oval donations to serve the county at-large, and that includes our local campus community via the Rams Against Hunger program.  These two programs are interconnected to make the greatest impact for our Ram Community and beyond. 

Enjoy a glimpse of the 25th Anniversary of Cans Around the Oval in 2011.  See what Collection Day looked like and how the food drive operated many years ago. 

Recent Year's Results and Photos