Students, faculty and staff at Tennessee’s community colleges and colleges of applied technology collected and donated the equivalent of 163,175 food items during The College System of Tennessee’s 27th Annual Food Drive Challenge.

The donations go to campus food pantries for students in need and to local food banks and programs serving their communities. In addition to food donations, campuses collected cash contributions, which count in the collection totals as two items per dollar raised. This year’s food drive greatly surpassed last year’s total of 110,851 items.

Since the Food Drive Challenge was launched in 1999 by student leaders, campuses have collected and donated a cumulative total of 2,017,637 food items and cash.

The colleges engage in a friendly competition – in tiers based on enrollment size – to see who can collect the most. Eighteen Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) and nine community colleges across the state participated in this year’s challenge.

Roane State was named the top Tier 1 community college once again this year with 20,954 items collected.

In addition to the food drive, Roane State extended its generosity through another initiative: an angel tree project collecting wish list items for students with children at home.

“This year’s challenge reflects an extraordinary spirit of kindness and generosity across the system. Congratulations to the colleges and their students, faculty and staff for this tremendous effort. Their commitment to supporting their campus communities, and their broader communities, is inspiring – and joyful during this holiday season,” said Dr. Heidi Leming, Tennessee Board of Regents vice chancellor for student success and strategic partnerships.

The Food Drive Challenge was conceived by the Student Government Presidents Council – student leaders from across the state – as a project to help fellow students and others in need. The colleges have kept the campaign going each year from early November to mid-December. Food items and funds are used to stock campus food pantries and also support community food banks, non-profits that provide food assistance, and other local support agencies.

Food insecurity is a major challenge on college campuses, in Tennessee and across the nation. A 2023 report by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission cites research concluding that students experiencing food insecurity are less likely to excel academically and more likely to report stress levels that hinders their ability to focus on their studies.

For information on Roane State’s campus food pantries for students, visit roanestate.edu/foodpantry.