Time to Go Griz and Give: UM Plans Can the Cats Food Drive for Nov. 7-21

MISSOULA – After raising a record 1.09 million pounds and dollars in 2025, Missoula and Griz Nation are again ready to tackle the Bobcats for a good cause.

The 27th annual Can the Cats food drive kicks off Saturday, Nov. 7, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 21, when the University of Montana Grizzlies and Montana State University Bobcats face off in the 125th Brawl of the Wild rivalry football game in Bozeman.

The stakes extend far beyond the football field. During Can the Cats, the rivals compete to see who can collect the most food and funds for area food banks, helping friends and neighbors in need. The drive benefits the Missoula Food Bank & Community Center and the UM Food Pantry, providing food for Missoula County residents and University students experiencing food insecurity.

“One of the things we love most about Can the Cats is the incredible variety of food our community brings in,” said Amy Allison, executive director of Missoula Food Bank & Community Center. “People donate foods they enjoy in their own homes, and that gives our customers more choices when they shop with us. The food collected during these two weeks helps nourish our community well into the following year.”

Last year, Missoula broke every previous Can the Cats record, collecting 209,847 pounds of food and $881,907 in monetary donations, for a combined total of 1,091,755 pounds and dollars. It was the first time the campaign surpassed the million mark.

One in five Missoula County residents uses Missoula Food Bank & Community Center services. The food and funds collected during Can the Cats help stock shelves well beyond the holiday season, bringing in a wider variety of foods than the organization can typically offer throughout the year.

The campaign also supports UM students through the campus food pantry, helping ensure that access to nutritious food is not a barrier to academic success.

“The Brawl of the Wild is one of the great rivalries in American sports,” UM President Jeremiah Shinn said. “It’s about competing for something Montanans care deeply about. But our responsibility to one another goes beyond the game itself. If we can translate Montana’s passion and competitive drive into meals for families who need them, everyone wins.”

Throughout the two-week competition, Missoula residents will have opportunities to participate in food drives, sporting events and community fundraisers.

The campaign begins Nov. 7 at the UM home football game against Portland State.

Then on Saturday, Nov. 14, UM’s annual Stuff the Bus event will bring student and community volunteers to grocery stores across Missoula from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Shoppers can contribute food or funds at participating Albertsons, Orange Street Food Farm, Rosauers, Walmart and Yoke's locations, among others. Food and funds also will be collected at the Nov. 14 football game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Additional events include Western Cider’s Grateful Glass nights on Nov. 10 and 17, Cambie's Pint Night on Nov. 12 and donation collections at Griz athletics events throughout the drive.

Can the Cats is made possible by these title sponsors: UM, First Interstate Bank, Missoula Paddleheads and Albertsons, with additional major support from the Good Food Store, Scheels and Jimmy John’s.

Community members are encouraged to contribute nonperishable food, host their own food drives or make monetary donations. Every dollar donated counts as one pound of food toward the competition total. Donations can be contributed and counted until the end of the first quarter of the Nov. 21 Brawl of the Wild.

Food and financial donations can be dropped off at Missoula Food Bank & Community Center, 1720 Wyoming St., or at participating collection locations throughout Missoula. Financial contributions can also be made online at www.missoulafoodbank.org.

For donation information, participating locations and community events, visit https://bit.ly/CanTheCats26.  

Running concurrently with Can the Cats is the Griz-Cat Blood Battle, a blood drive organized by the American Red Cross. Grizzlies and Bobcats will compete to see which fanbase donates more lifesaving blood.

Donations will be held Nov. 5, 9, 12 and 13 at UM. Schedule your appointment at 1-800-733-2767 or RedCrossBlood.org (sponsor code GRIZCATCHALLENGE). UM Blood Battle events also will accept donations of nonperishable goods for Can the Cats. Bring three items and earn a free Can the Cats pin.

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Amy Allison, executive director, Missoula Food Bank & Community Center, 406-531-4557, aallison@missoulafoodbank.org; Kat Cowley, director, UM Bear Necessities program, 406-243-2017, kat.cowley@mso.umt.edu.