Midland pushes for record while helping a bigger cause

With one can at a time they came, placing it on the table at the door by a quiet passing student: Chicken noodle soup, corn, beans, sliced peaches and other canned items.

Sometimes they came by the bag-full, the cans rolling around as the bags were placed next to the growing mass of non-perishable items. Occasionally they arrived by the case-full, making a heavy clunk on the table.

Each new can narrowing the cross-hairs on that iconic benchmark, a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for students at Midland Lutheran College.

Midland’s student senate, led by President Caleb Wentz, took the lead in an effort to be a part of a world record for most food (by weight) collected in a 24-hour period by a non-charitable organization. The challenge came down from Sodexho USA, which manages Midland’s food service. The challenge encompassed the nationwide campus dining arm of Sodexho with a goal of

500 pounds per site. The existing record is 221,028.85 pounds.

Early Wednesday, Wentz had hopes of surpassing the 500-pound goal.

Reaching for that record produced a ripple effect that will reach far beyond the simple recognition. It will reach into the Fremont community, touching those in need, and Marcella Divis-Michaud, executive director of Low Income Ministry of Dodge County.

“It’s because of efforts like theirs that make it possible for us to meet the needs of those less fortunate,” Divis-Michaud said.

For Divis-Michaud and the rest of the workers at Low Income Ministry, surpassing that goal would bring much needed relief. The last few months have not been easy for the food pantry, she said. Annually, they distribute approximately 128 tons of food to Dodge County, food they acquire using three main sources: donations from local groups and individuals, food drives and the Omaha Food Bank, their primary source.

She said for the last four months there has been a shortage of donations at the Omaha Food Bank, which has affected operations of food pantries in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

Walking through the ministry’s pantry and peering into the freezers one can see how the vacant spaces on the shelves are growing.

“I’ve never seen the supply as low as it is right now,” said Divis-Michaud, who has been with Low Income Ministry for 17 years.

At times, she said, in the last few months the pantry has received about one-third as much food from the food bank than normal. In addition, Divis-Michaud pointed out the Fremont pantry has been seeing a rise in need with the approaching holidays and fluctuation of the economy and gas prices.

“(Low Income Ministry) has been forced to use more of our own resources to purchase necessary food to meet the food needs,” she said.

The Midland students’ efforts “couldn’t come at a better time. It’s gratifying to see the students and sponsors working to help us, help others,” she said.

Wentz thanked all the individual donors and the larger ones like Wal-Mart Supercenter, Hy-Vee Food Store and Tri-Valley Dental Association who dropped off items at Sodexho Dining Hall on Midland’s campus.

“We may not break the record,” Wentz said, but he understood the attempt served a much greater purpose.

As senate president Wentz hoped to involve all the Midland students in a focused effort that served the good of the Fremont community. Even though Midland is a small college, Wentz said it can have a big impact.

Wednesday, after the drive ended, Wentz, other student senate members and Divis-Michaud spent the evening hoisting cans to the scale and punching in numbers on the calculator. All the while a video camera recording the activity as required by Guinness. When Wentz punched in the final numbers, the calculator read: 573.25 pounds.

Wentz said the results of Sodexho nationwide push won’t be immediately available, but for their part the Midland drive was a great success and service to the community.