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UW Indian students raise $1000 for campus food drive
The event, held alongside Diwali celebrations, drew participation from about 30 MILAAP members and 20 community supporters.
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Anushka Pathak - Mon, 24, Nov 2025
- 15:55 EST
- 20
Logo of Indian Students Association-MILAAP / Courtesy: MILAAP
The Indian Students Association-MILAAP at the University of Wyoming collected more than a thousand dollars during the Diwali Night Food Drive to aid students and local residents experiencing food insecurity.
The association collected $1,050 and more than 30 pounds of food for distribution across campus. The contributions were divided among three organizations: $275 each for the UW student pantry and the international student pantry, and $500 for the Laramie Soup Kitchen.
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This marked the group’s third Diwali Night drive, with this year’s totals surpassing previous donation levels and bringing combined contributions across all three drives to more than 500 pounds of food. About 30 MILAAP members and 20 community participants—including families, staff, and residents—took part in the event.
The group launched its first drive during the COVID-19 pandemic after faculty members noticed students missing classes because of food shortages. “At the time, 30 percent or so of students didn’t have enough to eat, and that proportion was much higher for international students,” said Ramesh Sivanpillai, a MILAAP adviser and instructional professor in the School of Computing.
He added, “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.”
MILAAP—meaning “friendship within the community”—has expanded its efforts since 2023. Its first Diwali Night drive raised $900, followed by $965 the next year. Advisers Sivanpillai and Debashis Dutta match donations personally to extend the program’s reach. “Children of Indian heritage come to Diwali Night to contribute, which is part of what MILAAP wants to achieve,” Sivanpillai said.
The event also featured cultural performances, offering students and residents a way to experience Indian traditions in Laramie. “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 said.
Vice president Srujan Dandu, a first-generation American from Los Angeles, added, “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.”
UW pantries and the Laramie Soup Kitchen thanked the organization for supporting students, roughly 30 percent of whom face food insecurity, with international students disproportionately affected.
“The amount of hard work put in by the students and MILAAP members to make this event successful is commendable,” Dutta said. “That is then topped off by all the food drive contributions they make to the broader Laramie community.”
Sivanpillai expressed appreciation for donors and volunteers. “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,” he said.
The group said it plans to expand future drives as demand for assistance rises, reinforcing its mission to combine cultural celebration with year-round community service.
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