UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 9, Page 15                       
October 29, 1992                                       
Student volunteers help deliver food to Delaware poor  
                                                       
     During the weekend of Oct. 17-18, a number of area college
students packaged several tons of cereals, canned goods and other 
grocery items. They weren't stocking up for the winter; they were 
participating in the Waste Not/Want Not Food Olympics, a two-day
contest sponsored by the Food Bank of Delaware, a non-profit agency
working to end hunger.                                       
     More than 10 teams representing University organizations sorted
goods in the midst of shelves piled ceiling-high with food. The items
will be distributed to agencies, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and
food closets throughout Delaware.                            
     The Food Olympics was coordinated by University student Laura
Semian, who has been a volunteer at the Food Bank for the past two
years through Gamma Sigma Sigma, Circle K and MBNA America. She had
seen the Food Olympics successfully organized with local businesses in
the past and decided to start one for University volunteers. 
     The participants were responsible for sorting and salvaging food
donated by area retail grocery stores. According to Susan Kelly, a
public relations consultant for the Food Bank, approximately 100,000
pounds of food is donated to the organization each month.    
     Every team donated a $10 participation fee to the Food Bank. The
team that sorted the most items during the weekend contest received a
$100 prize.                                                  
     The time limit for each team was 45 minutes.and members worked in
tag-team fashion.                                            
     Each student sorted a certain food item-such as cereal, bread or
canned goods-into a cardboard box. Once that item was fully sorted, it
was hurriedly moved onto the next volunteer. This continued until the
box was filled with each like item.                          
     Volunteers from Alpha Phi Omega helped move carts of new,
unsorted food into the packing area throughout the event.    
     The challenge was met with great enthusiam. Beta Alpha Psi, an
accounting honor society won the olympics by packing 2,205 pounds of
food. The members donated the $100 prize money to the Food Bank.
     The other participating teams were, Phi Epsilon Pi, Wesley
Foundation, Alpha Phi Omega, Circle K, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Mortar
Board, Belmont Honors Community, Gilbert A-B residence halls and the
Marketing Management Association of Goldey Beacon College.   
     Amy Bowers, president of Mortar Board, said her organization got
involved in the project because it "wanted to support the need for
food." The team salvaged 811 pounds of food.                 
     Semian said she felt that the event had been a success and she
hopes that it can become an annual event. "Some of the groups have
said that they wanted to come back," she added.              
     "It's a good experience for us at the Food Bank to work with 
campus groups," Kelly said.                                  
                                        -Casye Launer