Despite lower-than-expected turnout, the United Way's campaign kickoff event Tuesday night collected hundreds of items for those in need in the Grand Forks area.
The "Stuff the Truck" donation drive, formerly known as "Stack the Stage," was able to collect almost 700 nonperishable food items and personal care items for local food shelves.
The event is a kickoff for the United Way's upcoming fundraising campaign.
This year's drive was held Tuesday night in the parking lot of the UND Bookstore, a new time and location for the annual event. Lisa Martinez, marketing manager for the United Way, said turnout was lower this year than years past.
This was the first time the event was held at night and in a different location than Town Square, said Pat Berger, president and CEO of United Way of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and Area.
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Previously, United Way conducted the campaign during lunch hour downtown, where people could stop by in their vehicles to drop off items.
Organizers wanted to make the event fun for the whole family and added games and bounce houses for kids this, prompting the time and venue change, Berger said. Getting people used to the new time may take more promotion, she said.
Overall, Berger said she was happy with this year's donations, adding comparisons with last year are difficult because they didn't count physical donations last fall.
"We had to try something new and then you look at weather all over the place," Berger said. "But I was very pleased."
United Way distributes the donations to food shelves in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, as well as to the new Student Pantry on UND's campus.
