UW Indian Student Association Raises Over $1,000 in Food Drive

University of Wyoming students, staff and community members raised $1,050 and upwards of 30 pounds of food during a Diwali Night Food Drive conducted by the Indian Students Association, MILAAP, Saturday, Nov. 1.  

UW’s student pantry and international student pantry each received $275 from MILAAP, and  Laramie Soup Kitchen received $500 to help address food insecurity on campus and within Laramie.

Diwali, the festival of lights, is a major event celebrated in India in October or November. During the festival, homes and businesses light up with small oil lamps, and people take part in a variety of celebrations. Participants visit temples, light fireworks, don new clothes, eat full-course meals and greet friends and family with pleasantries and sweets.

Another important part of Diwali involves sharing whatever possible with those in need.

“Diwali is celebrated across the country with the belief that everyone deserves joy on this day,” says Khushboo, MILAAP’s president and a physics and astronomy graduate student from Narwana, Haryana India.

MILAAP, which means “friendship within the community,” is made up of roughly 30 students and 20 “friends of MILAAP,” which includes staff, community members and family.

Children of Indian heritage come to Diwali Night to contribute, which is part of what MILAAP wants to achieve, says Ramesh Sivanpillai, a MILAAP adviser and instructional professor at UW’s School of Computing. In the fall, it can be difficult to travel India for the festival. MILAAP’s Diwali Night and its food drive are part of an effort to bring the spirit of the festival to Laramie, where UW students and families of Indian origin can celebrate.

“So here, they can at least see what we do in India, there’s a cultural show, and then when we do the food drive, we talk about the importance of why we do this and why it’s important for everyone in the community to do well,” Sivanpillai says.

Srujan Dandu, MILAAP vice president and a first-generation American student from Los Angeles, describes the spirit of Diwali as “lighting little oil lamps around our house to chase away the darkness. But we also celebrate it in a figurative sense by giving back to our community and helping those in need, brightening people’s days and making them happy.”

MILAAP’s first food drive came out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sivanpillai and other professors heard students were struggling to find enough food and noticed absences in the classroom.

“At the time, 30 percent or so of students didn't have enough to eat, and that proportion was much higher for international students,” Sivanpillai says.

Instructors want students to succeed in their courses and graduate with flying colors. It’s daunting for students who don’t have enough food daily to focus on academic success, Sivanpillai says.

MILAAP has held food drives during two of its Spring Fests and three Diwali Nights. The association’s advisers, Sivanpillai and Debashis Dutta, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, match contributions made during the drive.

“The amount of hard work put in by the students and MILAAP members to make this event successful is commendable,” Dutta says. “That is then topped off by all the food drive contributions they make to the broader Laramie community.” 

Following this year’s event, UW’s pantries and the Laramie Soup Kitchen voiced their gratitude to MILAAP for its fundraising efforts.

MILAAP has held three Diwali Night Food Drives since 2023, with contributions increasing each year. The first drive raised $900 and the second $965 before breaking $1,000 this year. During these three events, MILAAP has collected more than 500 pounds of food.

MILAAP is glad the Indian community is contributing to address food insecurity on campus and is grateful for all those who contributed money or food to the cause, Sivanpillai says.