“We’re here for the reward, to distribute $20,000,” said Michael Doody, S.J., during his opening statement to the group of student organizers who helped run this year’s effort for the needy.

This year the Food Drive raised over $20,000, a sizable sum gathered through a variety of campus activities. These ranged from a showing of the summer blockbuster, Big Daddy, to Midnight Volleyball, sponsored by the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity in the Simon Recreational Center.

Activities also included the annual Turkey Trot, an event where those with the energy to wake up before 9 o’clock on a brisk Saturday morning run or walk their way about the Saint Louis University campus. The Turkey Trot this year brought in around $800.

“It did really well this year,” said Mike McCaslin, one of the Trot’s organizers. ” It’s a well-run program, and we had a lot of help from outside sponsors.”

Another event that brought in a fair sum of money was the Bowl-a-Thon event, run by the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. This year the fraternity raised $830 for the Food Drive with the Bowl-a-Thon.

In a meeting yesterday afternoon, the group of organizers met with Doody to discuss what organizations would receive a portion of the money raised. Last year the Food Drive brought in a total of $24,000 and helped a wide variety of people from all over the world. The group expressed their hopes to do the same with this year’s collection.

The cash goes to help organizations on three levels-local, national, and international. In the past some of the groups that have received money include St. Patrick’s Center, St. Joseph’s parish in East St. Louis and The Salvation Army Harbor Lights Center.

This year the organizers have decided to donate to several organizations. One such group is Energy Care, an organization run out of a former grocery store on the corner of Wyoming and California that helps the poor reduce their energy bills by helping them better insulate their homes. The High Bridge Community Life Center in the Bronx also receives assistance from the Food Drive. The Life Center helps educate underprivileged children as well as adults, and works towards community improvement. International organizations which were granted funds included Jesuit refugee services in Central Africa, Albania and Kosovo.

However, these are not the only places to receive funds. Several other organizations, such as Food Outreach, Karen House and Coven House, a group that takes in runaways in large cities also received money from the Food Drive.

“The drive is a pretty well-oiled machine,” said drive organizer Jen Jaspers. “Fr. Doody and (campus minister) Harry (O’Rourke) steered us in the right direction.”