Credit unions across the Dakotas are joining forces in a friendly “border battle” food drive competition between North and South Dakota credit unions. The goal is to collect the most food and cash donations to restock pantries in both states in partnership with the North Dakota Great Plains Food Bank and Feeding South Dakota.
East River FCU will be giving all donations locally to both the Lake County Food Pantry and the Miner County Food Pantry. We will collecting donations until Friday, January 13th.
The Dakota Credit Union Association (DakCU) quickly pivoted to support the food provider organizations when the two neighboring states advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) final game between the NDSU Bison and the SDSU Jackrabbits. Because DakCU serves both North and South Dakota credit unions, there was an opportunity to generate support for these charitable organizations that serve a large geographic area while having a bit of good-natured fun with the rivalry between the bordering states’ universities.
“This is indeed a rare opportunity where both of these top athletic programs in such close proximity, not to mention from the same conference, get to square off for the national championship,” says Jeff Olson, DakCU President/CEO. “Dakota credit unions have a long history of stepping up whenever and wherever we are needed, and in this case, we will tie credit unions’ ‘people helping people’ philosophy to restock Dakotas’ food pantries while we cheer for our favorite team.”
Olson continues, “To sweeten the pot a bit, the Dakota Credit Union Foundation will be making an additional donation of $1,500 to the state food pantry that collects the most food and cash, and another $1,500 donation to the FCS champion’s state food pantry.”
The timing of this campaign is critical. According to the food provider organizations in both states, there is an urgent need for both nonperishable items and money to support individuals and families who are experiencing hardships while at the same time, donations have decreased.
The “Border Battle to Tackle Hunger” campaign runs now through Friday, January 6, 2023. Organizations and individuals can support the effort by dropping off a cash or food donation to any participating credit union in your area. The state winner will be determined using the standard formula both food provider organizations use that equates to “meals provided.” For reference, each $1 donation = 3 meals; each 1.2 pounds of food = 1 meal.