Families, food pantries benefit from Fairland High
Published 12:00 am Sunday, December 18, 2011
ROME TOWNSHIP — A holiday food drive sent Fairland High’s school spirit into high gear as close to 2,700 cans and boxes of food were collected for baskets.
That is more than double the amount collected in past years.
“We were overwhelmed,” Mindy Clark, student council adviser and business teacher, said.
The food drive is an annual event sponsored by the school’s student council. This year the food was earmarked first for families in the district in need this Christmas.
“I think the kids responded well to this because we made it a big deal,” Taylor Phillips, senior class president, said.
The classes that brought in the most food items will get a pizza party during school hours.
“We made it more of a job to beat everybody else to bring in food for the community,” Phillips said.
Ten families from the school district were selected to receive large food baskets. The remainder of the items will be shared equally between food banks at the Church of Christ and New Hope United Methodist Church, both in Proctorville.
Students worked Friday afternoon to put the food baskets together and sort the remaining items for the food banks.
“It is a really good feeling” Phillips said. “Just the fact that we are not only helping families in our school, but in the community for months to come. The fact that they won’t go hungry. It is good that it is not just food, but really good food.”