Montana State University and the Gallatin Valley communities collected over one million pounds of food for local food banks, setting a new record in the 26th annual Can the Griz food drive. The donations benefited the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and MSU’s Bounty of the Bridgers food pantry.
Can the Griz is an annual competition between Montana State University (MSU) and the University of Montana, coinciding with the Brawl of the Wild football game. Each university holds a food drive to see which school can collect more for its local food bank.
According to Kim Cleary from MSU’s Office of Student Engagement, this year’s drive brought in 335,189 pounds of food and $683,424 in monetary donations. The combined total amounted to 1,018,613 pounds donated to Can the Griz. The rival Can the Cats drive at Missoula collected an equivalent of 1,091,754 pounds for its local food bank.
The previous record for MSU was set in 2021 with 654,126 pounds. Over 26 years, MSU and Gallatin Valley have won the competition 20 times.
“While we didn’t bring home the title for Can the Griz this year, our community has still won,” Cleary said. “This food drive helps people in our community for months to come, and at a time when many of our neighbors might need extra support, Can the Griz is even more impactful. The efforts that took place across the state are so inspiring, and I am so proud of each community for rallying around their food banks. We are already looking forward to facing off for this cause again next year!”
Donations from this year’s event will help provide food through spring and summer via both recipient organizations. The Gallatin Valley Food Bank operates as part of HRDC Food and Nutrition Programs’ Initiatives. Bounty of the Bridgers is run by MSU Student Wellness as a student-led effort addressing campus hunger among students, faculty, and staff.
