Food fight for food bank

Monday, Nov. 26 — The season of competitive giving is upon us: on Tuesday a five-hour food and money collection drive in downtown Lansing will benefit the Greater Lansing Food Bank.

Eleven teams of large businesses, small organizations and individuals compete Tuesday for the Golden Can Trophy between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. as part of this year’s Downtown Lansing Food Fight. Donations will be accepted at the Greater Lansing Food Bank Food Truck that will be parked outside of the Capitol Building.

Teams have been collecting donations for the past month and the winning team will have its name engraved on the Golden Can Trophy. Downtown Lansing, Inc. organizes the event.

The Food Fight is a weighted competition — each pound of food a team collects is divided by the number of team members. Though food donations are encouraged, participants can also make monetary donations, with each dollar equaling one pound of food.

Last year’s champs were a group of city of Lansing employees called the “Appetites for Change” team. About 5,600 pounds of food and $543 was donated in total last year.

Cathleen Edgerly, marketing and communications director for Downtown Lansing Inc., expects this year to be the best one yet.

“Each year we have seen an increase in the number of teams and individuals that come out to the event,” Edgerly said. “This time of year is a great time to donate, right around the holidays, since people are in a giving spirit. “

Still want in on the competition? It’s not too late to help. Donations will be accepted at the Greater Lansing Food Bank Food Truck outside of the Capitol Building on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.