Sept. 9, 2016

Alumni groups compete to collect canned goods

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By Kristen Caldwell
Office of Development and Alumni Relations

The Fourth Annual Alumni Charity Challenge will take place Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., at Hardywood Craft Brewery.

Established in 2013 by VCU Alumni’s RVA GOLD Chapter, the Alumni Charity Challenge engages alumni chapters from all universities in Virginia, as well as several out-of-state institutions, to support FeedMore, the Central Virginia Food Bank, by collecting canned goods.

Twenty-seven participating schools aim to collect 20,000 pounds of food at the event, as alumni compete to donate the most canned goods and get their school’s name on a challenge trophy.

It is a great opportunity for alumni groups to come together to fight food insecurity in Central Virginia.

“It is a great opportunity for alumni groups to come together to fight food insecurity in Central Virginia,” says Joseph R. Stemmle, a School of Business alumnus, co-chair of the challenge and a member of the RVA GOLD Chapter’s executive board. “Each alumni chapter tries to collect as many cans as possible in three hours, which are then delivered to FeedMore the following day.” 

During the past three years, the Alumni Charity Challenge has collected more than 10 tons of canned goods with the support of more than 26 colleges. Notable schools that have participated include Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, James Madison University, George Mason University, Old Dominion University, the College of William & Mary, Clemson University, Penn State, the University of Michigan and Auburn University. 

The Central Virginia Food Bank serves 31 counties and five cities, from the Northern Neck to Louisa County and south to the North Carolina state line.

“Now in our fourth year, we want to continue being the catalyst mobilizing all alumni chapters in Virginia to provide ongoing support to FeedMore through raising awareness, educating a unified Richmond community and collecting canned goods to actively fight food insecurity in Central Virginia,” Stemmle says. “FeedMore continues to serve more than 200,000 individuals in Central Virginia, including the region’s most vulnerable populations — children, families and seniors.”

Learn more about the Alumni Charity Challenge at www.alumnicharity.org.