The annual Governor’s State Employees Food Drive kicks off Monday, Feb. 3, and there’s one big change: Instead of the customary pink and red chocolate hearts, department coordinators will sell chocolate bars made by Woodblock Chocolate.

The limited run from the Portland chocolatier comes in a green wrapper for dark chocolate and a yellow wrapper for milk chocolate. The price will stay the same at $4 per bar, with $2 from each purchase going to FOOD for Lane County.

The shift to a fair-trade chocolatier follows requests that food drive coordinators consider the ecological impact of the month-long effort. Campus stakeholders also asked for a vegan option, and the Woodblock dark chocolate fills the bill with only two ingredients, cacao and cane sugar.

Last year UO employees donated the equivalent of 124,000 pounds of food during the month-long drive, contributing around 92,000 meals to a statewide total of almost 2.3 million meals donated. The food drive committee has set its sights a little higher this year, with a goal of 125,000 pounds.

This year sees the return of a popular donation method that was new last year: the online crowdfunding site. Many departments competed with one another to see who could raise the most via online donations, which totaled approximately $14,000, the equivalent to 42,000 meals.

Employees can still participate by bringing in canned goods, signing up for payroll deductions and participating in fundraising events in their departments.

A new blog site created by Government and Community Relations will help campus coordinators keep track of the many methods of participation, share ideas for fundraising events and answer frequently asked questions.

“The Governor’s State Employees Food Drive is a fantastic way for UO employees to support their neighbors in need and to demonstrate our care for the community” said Matt Roberts, UO senior director of community relations.

The food drive runs Feb. 1 to 29. Around the O will publish stories throughout the month highlighting opportunities to get involved. For more information and to purchase Woodblock Chocolate bars, see your department’s food drive site coordinator. If you aren’t sure who that is, email fooddrive@uoregon.edu to get connected.

—By Larissa Ennis, Government and Community Relations