Machetanz collects ‘tons’ of food

MAT-SU — It was a different sort of competition that had kids cheering and parents calling in all day Friday to check the tally.

“If their class wasn’t in the lead, they would come in with more donations,” said Machetanz Elementary School Principal Jennifer Dowd.

In a head-to-head competition, Molly Walker’s kindergarten students collected just three more food items than the students in Connie Bamburg’s class.

“People were still bringing things in this morning,” Dowd said of the food drive, which had filled a corner of the lobby by the front office by Monday morning with cases of vegetables, Cup of Soup, Swiss Miss, soups, chili, Ramen and pork and beans.

“Wow,” Food 4 Kids director Lynette Ortolano said spying the stack of food. “Do you know how long this will sustain our program?”

The 440 students in the school’s 18 classes each donated more than 10 pounds of food during the annual food drive. Last year’s food drive benefited Palmer, and this year students’ donations will feed their peers through the Mat-Su Food Bank’s Food 4 Kids program.

Donating the most items was Walker’s class with 1,461; second, was Bamburg’s class with 1,458; and third was Cathy Ledbetter’s Lady Bugs with 831 items.

To help celebrate their success, Ortolano has planned an ice cream social for the whole school.

Dowd said teachers talked with students during the food drive competition about how the food would help feed hungry Valley kids.

So who really wins? The kids who need food, Dowd said.

Ortolano said Food 4 Kids serves hot meals to 60 to 75 kids, five days a week at the Boys and Girls Club in Wasilla year-round. During the summer, the food program also serves breakfast and lunch to children younger than 18.

In addition, Food 4 Kids also serves food at 16 locations from Sutton to Willow, Ortolano said. About 40 percent of the meals provided are provided at these remote sites, she said.

Remote sites include Blood and Fire Ministries; Mat-Su Food Bank; Houston Fire Department; Sutton Library; Big Lake Library; Willow Food Pantry; and Willow Community Center.

So how much food did Machetanz students donate?

Mat-Su Food Bank Executive Director Eddie Ezelle said the total food donation weighed 4,490 pounds.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” Ortolano said. “This is going to feed a lot of kids.”

Contact Heather A. Resz at 352-2268 or heather.resz@frontiersman.com.