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Heartland veterans want community to join march to food bank

Pantagraph - 4/12/2019

April 11-- Apr. 11--NORMAL -- Veterans attending Heartland Community College are looking for people to join them in carrying a ton of food to the Midwest Food Bank on Saturday.

During their first Ruck March Food Drive last year, the Heartland Student Veterans of America collected 960 pounds and marched just over 6 miles round trip between Heartland's Raab Road campus and Midwest Food Bank, off Northtown Road, said Heartland sophomore Will Fouts, an Army veteran who heads the student group.

About 50 people took part in last year's march. Fouts said Heartland students and veterans made up half the group, and the rest were community members, including students from Normal Community High School.

Fouts was honored with the Armed Forces Award at last year's American Red Cross Saluting Our Heroes Breakfast for organizing the first march.

This year they are hoping to attract more participants by cutting the distance in half -- walking 3.1 miles round trip from Rosa Parks Commons, near the corner of Raab Road and Linden Street, to Midwest Food Bank.

"We hope to get about 100 people this time," said Fouts.

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They also set a goal of collecting 2,000 pounds of donations.

Preferred donations include peanut butter, box meals and canned goods, including soups and pasta.

Donations can be dropped off in advance at Heartland at Room 1101 of the Student Commons Building or the atriums of the Instructional Commons Building or the Workforce Development Center. People can also bring donations to the start of the march, even if they don't participate in the walk itself.

The food drive was organized as a march because "a ruck march is something we do in the military to move all our gear around," explained Fouts. "We're a veterans organization. ... This gives a little more meaning to the event."

There will be food, inflatables and games at Rosa Parks Commons after the march, he said.

"We wanted to make it a day to bring the whole family out," said Fouts.

Contact Lenore Sobota at (309) 820-3240. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Sobota

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