DECEMBER 17, 2009 ISSUE
Valle Crucis School Collects 1,063 Items for The Hunger and Health Coalition
Two students work together to lift a box full of donated items for The Hunger and Health Coalition into the van. Photo by Corinne Saunders
Pam Phillips, Angela Constantino, Randy Feimster and Mat Klizek, representing part of the circulation staff at Watauga County Public Library, stand with a banner celebrating the 950 cans collected last week. Photo submitted
“We’ve been collecting canned goods for The Hunger and Health Coalition for about one month,” said Dr. Karen Farthing, adding that pre-K to eighth-grade students at Valle Crucis School collected a total of 1,063 items for the nonprofit.
The winning classrooms, which will receive cookie decorating parties or ice cream parties, are Leslie Howser’s kindergarten class, Diane Wilcox’s third grade class and Farthing’s and Amber McArthur-Cooper’s middle school classes.
The food collection competition was organized and run by Farthing’s service and volunteering class, comprised of seventh- and eighth-grade students.
“The students wanted to do something locally,” Farthing said. “They wanted to help local families.”
The students tripled their goal from last year, she said, when they collected a total of 300 items for The Hunger and Health Coalition.
Trevor Reep, a student in Farthing’s class, encouraged people to keep donating food even after though the canned food drive ended.
Students T.J. Poulos, Zach Langdon and Connor Heinen commented that the food drive was a group effort, not done solely for the competition, but for people who need it; and noted that some students who did not have a lot to share brought food from their own pantries for the drive.
Adam Hurd, also a student in the class, said that the drive next year could possibly be county-wide, and classmate Landon Stahl agreed, adding that he hopes to triple the amount collected next year.
The canned food drive showed an “incredible effort” by all the students and was a great way to bring school and community together for a worthy cause, said Principal Wayne Eberle.
“It’s nice to see the kids take such pride in what they do here for other people,” Eberle said.
On Monday, December 14, David Watson of The Hunger and Health Coalition drove a van to Valle Crucis School, and Farthing’s students carried the boxes of donated items to the van, officially ending this year’s food drive at the school.
“It takes a lot of effort to get kids together [for such a project],” Watson said. “I really think they’ve done an excellent job.”
The service and volunteering class “was developed under the umbrella of student service,” and the food drive was “one of the many things they do,” Eberle explained, adding that other projects benefit the Watauga Humane Society and OASIS (Opposing Abuse with Service, Information and Shelter).
The class is also in charge of the school’s recycling, Farthing said, adding that in January, the class will begin a phone book recycling project through Skyline that benefits the school’s media center and raised more than $800 last year.
“It’s a privilege to be in this class,” Hurd said.
Community Interest
News & Notes
Events
Arts & Entertainment
