University students are donning their dancing shoes tonight – not for a trip downtown, but in an effort to help the community.

The Ballroom Performance Group, a student dance company at the University, will be collecting canned food and donations for the Northeast Georgia Food Bank during its Friday Night Dance today.

“It will be the perfect combination of fundraising and fun,” said Liza Pitts, a pharmacy student and president of the Ballroom Performance Group.

The group holds a dance night the first and third Friday of each month, where students and the community come together on the dance floor. Those attending tonight’s Harvest Ball are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite fall color.

“It’s really important for BPG as a student organization to work with the community. We have a tendency to be so student focused – this is a practical way for college students to be more influential in the communities they become a part of while in school,” said junior Sarah Rath, member of the Ballroom Performance Group.

The group’s goal is to collect at least 100 cans of food to help the Athens community.

“We have not had a canned food drive at least in the past few years, but we are searching for more ways to be charitably involved on and around campus,” said senior Spencer Smith, Ballroom Performance Group’s public relations officer.

The Harvest ball will be held in the Dance Theater, located behind Snelling, and will last from 7 to 10:30 p.m., with a free dance lesson from 7 to 8 p.m.