Campbell's Soup Awards Regent SIFE Opportunity to "Can Hunger"

Major hunger relief initiative to benefit U.S. and Africa

September 10, 2009

Regent SIFE Project Manager Connie Tynes examines a bag of pasta, one of the foods to be collected during campus food drive.

With the notable and challenging goal of feeding the hungry both locally and globally, the Regent Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Team's "Let's Can Hunger" business plan was one of only three plans selected in August to receive seed money for implementation as part of SIFE World Headquarters and Campbell's Soup Company's 2009 Let's Can Hunger Challenge.

Watch Regent SIFE's "Let's Can Hunger" video.

“The challenge was open to all 800 SIFE USA teams to create projects that generated awareness about hunger in the U.S. and provide hunger relief in our own community,” stated Kristen Gwaltney, Regent SIFE president. "The plan was a result of SIFE team members establishing collaborative partnerships with Operation Blessing International and the Campbell’s Soup Company to tackle hunger relief," she further explained.

The partnership with Operation Blessing International (OBI), a nonprofit humanitarian organization, was the "perfect opportunity to link a student project directly with OBI's initiatives. It was a win/win!” stated Gwaltney.

Campus and corporate food drives to fill numerous Hunger Strike Force trucks for distribution across the U.S.

The Regent SIFE hunger relief plan, to begin September 16, is composed of three strategies. The first of which is a semester-long campus food and fundraising drive to fill an OBI Hunger Strike Force tractor trailer with canned soup, pasta, rice, baby formula and canned vegetables.

Katy Blevins, procurement and corporate relations manager for OBI, stated, “Shelf stable foods such as soup are a goldmine for hunger relief. We'll travel to the moon for a truckload of that!"

The second strategy is to implement a corporate initiative to inspire Hampton Roads corporations and their employees to fill their own OBI Hunger Strike Force trailer with food or purchase a Campbell’s Soup Company tractor trailer load of soup for pick-up, transportation and distribution to Operation Blessing hunger relief centers throughout the United States.

“Corporate participants can ‘custom order’ a truck load of Campbell’s soup and see it disperse immediately into the emergency food distribution system," stated Connie Tynes, Regent SIFE’s “Let’s Can Hunger” project manager.

Regent SIFE to raise funds to build food bank in Niger, Africa as part of three-pronged "Can Hunger" strategy.

The third strategy involves a global "Change the World, Change Niger" campaign to encourage the Regent University community to donate their daily lunch change to raise $11,000 to establish a food bank in Niger, Africa. Money collected will fund the construction of a new building that will be stocked with grain and other dry food products from the local farmers' crops that will be distributed to families in the community during Niger's "lean" season.

According to Gwaltney, "This is where our students can really experience the purpose of the RU Global campaign!"

OBI estimates that  the new food bank in Niger will feed, on average, 700 Nigerians. "This new, long-term strategy will meet the needs, year after year, of a people living in a harsh, arid climate," stated Gwaltney.

"September 16th is the big kick-off day for our exciting year-long campaign, and each of the three goals will be premiered in conjunction with Campus Ministries and Operation Blessing International at that day’s chapel service,” explained Gwaltney.

Regent SIFE's comprehensive campaign provides an intimate connection between those who donate and those who receive the aid,” noted Blevins. "Just donating your change from a breakfast, lunch or dinner lets you directly see how your contribution has a marked global impact in a very real way!”

About Regent University

Founded in 1978, Regent University has more than 4,000 students studying on its campus in Virginia Beach, Va., and online around the world. Regent offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from a Christian perspective in fields including business, communication and the arts, divinity, education, government, law, leadership, and psychology and counseling.