Chabad and Hillel worked together to bring some of the Hanukkah spirit to campus. The two organizations collected cans of food to donate to local food banks and shelters, but first, they built the cans into a menorah, or “can-orah,” outside of Kelvin Smith Library before Thwing Study Over on Dec. 6, the first night of the eight-day holiday.

“The holidays are about giving,” said Sarah Glieberman, vice president of Chabad, who helped organize the event. “We are constantly motivated by ‘tzedakah’ or charity. This event is meant to combine that idea along with the fun of Hanukkah.”

The event collected more than 600 cans total, 576 of which went into the can-orah.

“We are looking forward to making this an annual event,” said Glieberman. “This year is really getting people excited and getting the word out so that we can continue to expand this event over future years.”

“We were thrilled to see so many people there and we can’t wait to expand it next year and get more people involved,” she added.