Middle school food drive hits goal for Salvation Army Mat-Su

PALMER — After a day at school filled with reading, tests and quizzes, some local middle school students took a few moments to load up the fruits of their food drive efforts.

Academy Charter School students recently participated in a food drive to benefit Salvation Army Mat-Su. The drive was organized by the middle school student council, and over a two-week period, students gathered more than 1,300 items, including canned food and other dry goods.

“We decided to participate in a canned food drive and we were very successful,” said Savanna Nardi, a seventh-grade student and treasurer of Academy’s student council.

Nardi said the school set a goal of 1,000 items and surpassed that goal by more than 300. Overall, the school raised 1,337 food items for the Salvation Army — food that will go directly to local families in need.

“Everybody liked the idea of giving back to people that might not have anything, and making it a competition made it fun,” Nardi said. “I think that’s what inspired us to do so well.”

Nardi said the council decided to spice up the drive by adding a little in-school competition. The grade that brought in the most food would win an ice-cream party. In the end, the seventh grade won with about 320 items.

To get the food donations, students printed flyers, placed an announcement in the school newsletter and visited classrooms to talk with other students. During the last two days of the food drive, the school raised about 730 items. Realizing they could do more, the students announced the goal would be 1,000.

Chris Cooney, vice president of the student council, said the council began working on the drive around Easter. With spring being a down time for donations, they figured it was the perfect time to step up and help out, he said,

“It’s important that they feel good, especially around the holidays,” Cooney said of those who benefit from the food bank.

Cooney said he was happy to help support a worthy cause, but he wishes he could see the final results.

“I wish that I would be able to be there to see the people smile and stuff,” he said. “That would be really good. It’s sad to know we don’t get to see their smiling faces, but I know that they’re there. I can just picture it in my mind — someone smiling getting some dinner.”

Kristen Bowman, 13, a seventh-grade student council representative, said she feels good knowing she and other students are helping those in need.

“It’s kind-of nice to give back to people that don’t have a lot of food,” Bowman said.

For families in the Mat-Su Valley, the Salvation Army provides a supplemental supply of food that helps families stretch their budgets. In March, the Palmer-based office reports it supplied food for 859 individuals and 418 families. The organization provided a total of 1,718 meals to those in need across the Valley.

Contact Chris Gillow at chris.gillow@frontiersman.com or 352-2284.