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Students give the gift of food |
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Wednesday, 21 November 2007 |
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 Staff photo/Kay Louth
Tri Star students unloading and stacking some of the 3,713 food items they collected for the Agape Food Pantry Friday.
By KAY LOUTH
Staff Writer
ST. MARYS — An annual competition within some local schools netted the Agape Food Pantry a windfall of food and pantry items just in time for the winter months.
In the St. Marys School District competition, students from East, West and Memorial High School collected 8,056 food items. Tri Star students collected 3,713 items and New Knoxville students collected 2,500 items. Agape Director Kathy Bayless reported through the week’s effort by students the pantry received 17,050 items, including a few nonfood items like toilet paper and soap. “They out did themselves,” Bayless said. “I never saw a mountain of food like this. There is a wall of food we have in this building.”
Food pantries like Agape are struggling as more and more working people are depending on them to help stretch their dollars. According to media reports, the rising costs of food as well as housing, utilities, gasoline and health care are driving the increased demand. In addition, there’s less surplus food from manufacturers and the government going to clearing houses like America’s Second Harvest.
The recently released U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual hunger survey shows that more than 35.5 million people, including 12.6 million children, in the United States went hungry in 2006, up from 35.1 million from previous surveys.
The schools began delivering their haul to the pantry on Friday as dozens of truckloads of food was quickly unloaded and stacked in the pantry waiting for volunteers to sort and count. Bayless said over the course of the day, 10 volunteers plus staff members managed to get everything sorted and put away.
“We actually had everything put away before we left on Friday,” she said. “I’ve never seen people work like that before. It was unbelievable.”
St. Marys High School principal Dave Lewis said each building had a competition to see which building could bring in the most items. Based on the building’s student population, West students brought in the most items per student at 5.2 items.
The St. Marys district also has a competition with Celina City Schools.
“It started two years ago with Celina I believe,” Lewis said. “There were two or three other Western Buckeye League schools involved. We beat them all.”
Lewis explained there’s a traveling trophy that goes to the winner of the competition between Celina and St. Marys. He described it as two oars with one side painted in St. Marys’ blue and gold and the other side in Celina’s green and white.
“We get to retain that again,” Lewis added.
The student council is hosting a breakfast party for the winning classes.
“We really want to thank the all the staff and students for helping,” Lewis said. “It went well, beyond my expectations.”
Lewis pointed out employees at Pantry Pride gave more than 600 food items to the cause. Lewis said the food collection gives the students an opportunity to help others.
“I think it sends a good message to our student body to volunteer to help the community and help those less fortunate and just gives them a good feeling to help the community,” he said.
The winning classes include: East -- Connie Triplett; West — Dee Hertenstein; High School – Tom Elsass, Bill Widman, and Jack McBride.
At Tri Star, Todd Smith’s welding class won the competition in the school. Smith was quick to thank Beckman and Gast canning factory in St. Henry for their donation of 1,300 cans of diced tomatoes.
“The classes had a little contest to see who could collect the most,” Smith said. “That gets them motivated.”
Bayless said the food that came in Friday will last at least through February. Bayless said she is very grateful for the students efforts stating the need is overwhelming.
“These are kids and they get it,” she said. “They understand the need, the sheer overwhelming need and they stepped up.”
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Last Updated ( Monday, 26 November 2007 )
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