“Donations – an easy way to feed your soul.”
These words adorn the front of what looks like a Campbell’s soup can. It is, instead, a creation of Salmon Arm students, members of Okanagan College’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE).
Just one of the projects of the local SIFE group, the “Let’s Can Hunger” initiative is one that students at all campuses of Okanagan College have undertaken in conjunction with the Campbell Soup Company, aiming to raise 80,000 pounds of food for local food banks.
The donation-collecting soup cans, labelled Soup for the Soul, can be found at various locations throughout the community, and were designed with the help of Hucul Printing.
Steven DeBoer, vice-president of SIFE, says that last year the project raised 30,000 pounds of food, so this year the bar has been raised.
Student Ryan Rithaler explains the group wishes to address hunger on three levels: addressing the urgent food need via the food banks; combatting long-term food need; and raising awareness of hunger issues.
“We want to make real change on the ground in our community.”
Another part of the initiative is a community growing plan, says student Lorallyne Ericcsan, explaining that SIFE is hoping to get businesses and others to donate seeds, so community members will grow a row in their gardens for the food bank.
Student Jordan Pack is focusing on ‘project music,’ seeing how SIFE can best support local artists and musicians. He said they’re interviewing musicians and production groups “trying to find out where we would fit in best as business students.”
That might be, for instance, helping one of the production companies create a business plan.
Overall, the plan is to help support local musicians to get out and perform, and to help the community be exposed to more local musicians.
SIFE is an international organization whose aim worldwide is to help university students make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. The Salmon Arm contingent would like to send 12 of its members to Calgary in March to compete in a SIFE regional competition, where the group will showcase its projects.
Another goal of the local group is to involve the community and more students at the campus in projects. They’re open to ideas and suggestions as to how a group of business students can contribute to the community.
As Rithaler says, “We’ll be around for a while, so people should partner with us.”
To contact the SIFE group, contact Steven DeBoer by phone at 250-804-0970 or via email at rovent99@gmail.com.
