The Buckeyes always aim to defeat the Wolverines, and this week, students “can,” even if they aren’t a part of the football team.

The “Greatest Rivalry in Canned Goods” is an effort to play off the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry to collect non-perishable food items.

The competition is hosted by Students Engaged in Responsible Volunteering, known as SERV, and Beat Michigan Week.

The university that collects the highest weight of canned goods will be named the victor. Food donations at Ohio State will be given to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank.

“The heavier the donations, the better,” said Adam Rapien, a fourth-year in political science and SERV student coordinator for the food drive.

According to its Web site, the Mid-Ohio Food Bank delivers food to more than 500 food pantries, organizations, shelters, after-school programs and senior housing sites in central and eastern Ohio, providing more than 47,000 meals each day.

Requests for food are at an “all-time high,” Rapien said.

Students are encouraged to donate food including peanut butter, cereal, fruit, grains, meats, complete meals, vegetables and macaroni and cheese.

Rapien said the teams hope to collect more than 1,000 pounds of food, beating last year’s collection of 700 pounds. Last year’s competition was the first between the two schools.

Donation teams will accept cans until Nov. 20. Drop-off spots are located at the Ohio Union, the Recreation and Physical Activity Center, student dining halls, Off-Campus Student Services, Kuhn Honors and Scholars House and some residence halls.

“By participating in this food drive, Ohio State students can show their Buckeye pride, pay it forward and beat Michigan,” Rapien said.

Bernie Savarese, the assistant director of service and outreach at the Ohio Union, said the hope for the food drive is that students will see it as one of many opportunities to give back to their community.

The kick-off event for the Battle against Hunger was held Nov. 13 in Royer Student Activities Center. Speakers included representatives from the Department of Nutrition and other Columbus service agencies.