The third annual Student Association Food and Clothing Drive was so successful, the City Mission had to stop accepting UB donations.
Over 42 SA clubs and various other organizations participated in the drive, which was held from Oct. 21 to Nov. 4, collecting 9,383 pounds of clothing and 1,144 pounds of food. The drive was one of the most successful community and university collaborations in UB history.
"The drive has always been successful, but this past year there was an overwhelming response," said Lisa Galus, SA community service director.
According to SA President Christian Oliver, SA was forced to donate the overflow donations to the Salvation Army after the contributions filled the City Mission to capacity.
"We flooded their system," Oliver said. "Literally, (the donations) would fill the SA office from floor to ceiling."
The top three organizations that brought in the most food in terms of weight won monetary prizes ranging from $100 to $500.
According to Oliver, the winning organization, the Ukrainian SA, contributed 1,841 pounds worth of donations, followed by Theta Nu Sigma with 1,316 pounds and the Organization of Arab Students with 1,069 pounds.
Delta Sigma Pi collected the most food, contributing 337 pounds, followed by Women's Hockey with 234 pounds, and Woman's Rugby with 129 pounds, Oliver said.
"This is one of the things we wanted to be better at this year," the president said. "We wanted to give back to the community - we feel it is one of our roles in the university."
The amount of clothes collected tripled the amount collected last year, while the figure for pounds of food collected was nearly half of what it was last year. Oliver attributed the decline in good donations to the upcoming Race for Hunger, sponsored by the Men's Lacrosse team.
"The majority of clubs donate to the Race for Hunger, but the ones that don't participate in the SA drive," he said.
This drive was the brainchild of SA Treasurer Naazli Ahmed, during her stint as external affairs director three years ago. The purpose of the drive, according to Ahmed, is to help clubs with fundraising while assisting the community with contributions and service.
"It's a win-win situation," Ahmed said.
The treasurer said community service is the best way to "create a positive feeling in the community" and serves a link between the university, community and local businesses.
Oliver said he heard of a fraternity that went into the community and handed out flyers informing people about the drive and detailing times for residents to leave contributions on their front steps for the fraternity to pick up.
According to Ahmed, one club went around the community and asked for spare change to purchase food to donate.
"It is good to see organizations using creative ways to get food and clothing," she said.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
