Drake University has declared Oct. 22 “DU Good Day,” a day of service for alumni in central Iowa and across the country. DU Good Day activities will occur at a dozen sites nationwide, as hundreds of Drake alumni, family and friends donate their time to hunger-related causes in their communities.
This idea stemmed from a desire for alumni to continue the mission of the University after they graduate and are no longer participating in campus-oriented service activities.
“This is about people loyal to Drake volunteering together,” says National Alumni Board member Erica Aronsen Axiotis. “DU Good Day is something we can do together as a community, no matter where you are.”
The central Iowa branch of the Drake University National Alumni Association will sort and donate goods for the Food Bank of Iowa from 10 a.m. ““ 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Plaza on the West side of Drake Stadium.
Des Moines residents and area alumni have collected food in a can drive at area businesses for two weeks prior to the event, and will also collect food at the Drake football game against Valparaiso at 1 p.m. on Saturday, in honor of DU Good Day. The first 100 people to bring three canned good items to the game will receive a $25 gift card to Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar. All fans who bring three or more cans will receive discounted tickets ($6 adults, $2 youth) to the game.
Alumni Association DU Good Day efforts will collaborate with a Drake student initiative, the 3-Mile Project, which aims to collect 50,000 canned goods “” enough to span from Drake to the new World Food Prize location and then on to the Capitol.
“We’re proud that our strong alumni base continues to live out Drake’s mission,” said Blake Campbell, director of alumni relations at Drake University. “It’s exciting to know that hundreds of big-hearted Bulldogs, from D.C. to Des Moines to L.A., will being making a difference in Drake blue this weekend.”