Without the Helping Hands Food Drive, the homeless might go a day without food, or a struggling mother’s kids might have empty bellies for the night. When you donate, you ease the struggle that individuals have to go through. Donating to Helping Hands is definitely a great thing you can do!
Celebrating 20 consecutive years, the University of Findlay’s Helping Hands food drive continues to achieve new levels while fighting food insecurity in Hancock County. On Thursday, Nov. 6, campus and community members gathered to commemorate this year’s achievements, contest winners, and finalize the total food donation numbers. During this year’s theme of “banding together to fight hunger,” Helping Hands collected an astonishing 458,171 pounds of food—surpassing last year’s record by 192,955 pounds! Semi truckloads were needed to move all the pallets of food that were collected and delivered to CHOPIN (Christians Helping Other People in Need) Hall food pantry.
Special thanks go to Garner Trucking Inc. for generously donating food and supplying two semi-trucks to accommodate all food transportation to CHOPIN Hall; Campbell's Soup Company, which made a substantial donation; and Walmart, which also donated a large amount along with providing community donation locations for food drop-offs.
2025 Facts
- Findlay High School won the collection gathered from this year’s marching band show, bringing in 1,701 pounds (15.9 pounds per person).
Student Affairs led the UF Campus Challenge with 1,528 pounds per person, totaling 65,699 pounds!
All 78 pallets of food were picked up by Garner Trucking Inc. and delivered to CHOPIN Hall to serve those in need. This year’s drive brought the University of Findlay’s total donations since 2006 to over 2.3 million pounds.
In the Can-struction contest held on campus, Student Occupational Therapy Association won People’s Choice, Technology and Gaming took Most Creative, and Alpha Psi Omega brought in the most weight with 1,601 pounds.
McComb Middle School won the Golden Can Award for the fourth consecutive year, with 37.27 pounds per person.
| Year | Total Pounds Collected | Facts |
2025
| 458,171 lbs.
| New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected.
|
2024
| 265,216 lbs.
| New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected.
|
2023
| 247,897 lbs.
| New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected.
|
2022
| 238,732 lbs.
| New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
2021
| 214,599 lbs.
| New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2020 | 165,735 lbs.
| New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected.
|
| 2019 | 115,867 lbs.
| New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected.
|
| 2018 | 111,436 lbs.
| New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected.
|
| 2017 | 97,465 lbs.
| New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2016 | 74,446 lbs. | New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2015 | 64,392 lbs. | New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2014 | 49,957 lbs. | Second highest total in the history of the event. Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2013 | 55,022 lbs. | New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2012 | 47,287 lbs. | New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2011 | 37,271 lbs. | New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2010 | 26,324 lbs. | New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2009 | 17,825 lbs. | New record! Finishing first among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2008 | 12,641 lbs. | New record! Finishing third among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected. |
| 2007 | 6,544 lbs. | New record! Finishing second among college campuses nationwide for pounds of food collected |
| 2006 | 994 lbs. | This is the first year the food drive was introduced to all college campuses across the United States. |