The food drive, which started on Sept. 19, also aimed at collecting 20,000 pounds of food. In all, 17,854 pounds was collected.

Basic Needs Program Coordinator Kathryn Conrad, who is part of CSU’s Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement (SLiCE) office, said this year’s C.A.N.S. Around The Oval demonstrated the power of the CSU and Fort Collins community.

“It all got really real when the truck rolled up to The Oval (on Oct. 19),” Conrad said. “We received quite a bit of support from the CSU community, but we also received a lot of support from the Poudre School District.”

As in previous years, the Oct. 19 celebration featured remarks from CSU leadership, including Interim President Rick Miranda as well as Vice President for Student Affairs Blanche Hughes.

C.A.N.S. — which stands for “cash and nutritious staples” — is one of the largest fund and food drives in Northern Colorado. The event has been a staple at CSU for the past 36 years.

Mario Righi, a senior majoring in business administration, was among the students helping at this year’s event on the Oval. Righi, who has worked for Rams Against Hunger the past two years, said seeing the outpouring of support was inspiring.

“Just seeing all of the massive amounts of cans that come to the Oval shows that people actually care,” he said. “It’s incredible how the community comes together to help each other out.”