APSU’s sociology department raised “truckloads” of food with Campus Cares food drive for the Saving Our Students food pantry on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

According to Alexandra Wills, the food pantry director since its conception, the carnival themed food drive was a huge success.

When asked how many cans were collected during the food drive, she was at first happily unable to give a numerical answer.

“I don’t think it was counted, it was that many… If I had to estimate off the top of my head I’d probably say we probably had around five thousand things of food donated,” Wills said.

The carnival raised so many cans that a truck was required to transport them from the Morgan University Center to the food pantry house.

All of the food that was raised during the carnival, is used to feed APSU students and their families.

There are approximately 15 families equaling as few as fifty people and probably more who are able to take advantage of the service provided by The SOS Food Pantry each month.

Both this year and last year, the freshmen sociology students plan,advertise, and execute the food drive as a part of the coursework for the sociology department.

Last year was the first, so it was a simple food drive.

Once it was time to start planning this year’s food drive those heading the event, were more familiar with the process this year thus the extravagance of the carnival.

In addition to the thousands of unperishable food items, the sociology department also raise $763.

Each year, the food pantry gives away around 20 thanksgiving boxes, “with all the fixin’s” Wills said.

She says, that the baskets contain vegetables, cornbread mix, cranberry sauce, Stovetop stuffing, and turkey.

The $763 that was raised, will be used to fund the turkeys for this years thanksgiving boxes.

The SOS food pantry started as a small endeavor in a supply closet with two graduate students and Mills, with a mission to make sure that the students of APSU had access to food when needed without having to travel to food banks outside of campus and even the city, in some cases.

Today, the SOS food pantry has found their “forever home,” according to Mills, a small house on Home Avenue.

They have space to house their supply of nonperishables, and thanks to the food drive on Tuesday, that space is being filled.

The SOS food pantry is a service available to all APSU students to use a frequently as they may need.

Anyone in need can visit their website at apsu.edu/volunteer/food-pantry-and-green-room

Donations and volunteers are gladly accepted, simply visit the website or stop by the food pantry were more information is provided.