Food, live Christmas music and festive lights will set the scene at “Gather to Give,” a holiday celebration Wednesday night aimed at gathering canned foods for 12th Can.
A&M President Michael Young and his wife, Marti Young, are hosting the event on the front lawn of the Jack K. Williams Administration Building with live music from four local groups competing in MSC Town Hall’s “Battle of the Bands.”
“We had 15 bands apply and we went through, listened to all their [demos] and chose four of them,” said Darby Leiber, MSC Town Hall special events coordinator and finance senior.
Derek McKee, 12th Can co-chair and business honors senior, said the food donated at Gather to Give will benefit students and faculty on campus who may need the additional support.
 “You don’t know if the student at the bus stop or a co-worker is hungry or had a bad day or is experiencing a hardship,”McKee said.
McKee said Marti Young was introduced to the 12th Can earlier in the year.
“Mrs. Young met with us and was very impressed with our work,” McKee said. “When President Young announced the Gather to Give event, she contacted us and wanted us to get involved.”
Although there is no set amount of cans the organization seeks to raise at the event, each food item that is donated helps ensure fewer people go hungry.  
“One hundred percent of the proceeds we raise goes directly back to students, faculty and staff, that need them,” McKee said. “The more cans, the more we are able to give back.”
President Young and Marti Young’s Gather to Give event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.