Saturday, December 20, 2008
The food collected will be distributed today.
NEW SPRINGFIELD — Organizers wondered if they should go ahead with the annual canned goods collection this year because so many people might have difficulty donating because of the economic downturn.
But the students at Springfield Local High School came through in a big way, bringing in a record 5,000 food items for the annual Community Christmas Basket project, tripling the amount collected last year. Fewer than 400 students attend the high school.
Kory Snyder, a history teacher at the school and adviser to the student council that sponsored the collection, said there was discussion about whether to collect canned goods this year.
Snyder said he told them the economic situation was a good reason to skip the collection — but also a good reason to do it.
Student council members decided to go ahead with the project, and Snyder said the success of the collection “speaks volumes” about the students and their families. He said the sight Friday of students lugging in boxes and bags of food on the last day of the collection was amazing, and the students really “stepped up” to the challenge.
To heighten interest in the weeklong collection, there was a contest to see which sixth-period class would collect the most food. The winner, Snyder said, was Susan Dunn’s sixth-period senior class, and the prize was a trip to Pizza Hut last week.
Snyder singled out student Megan Molnar, a member of that class, as the student who brought in the most items and put her class over the top.
On Friday, the local Lion’s Club boxed the food and prepared it for delivery today to 120 local families who will receive in addition to the canned and staple foods, a turkey or chicken, fresh fruits and vegetables, and gifts collected by local churches, said Robert Carson, a committee member.
The collection is an annual event in the New Middletown/Springfield Township community and has been going on for many years. In addition to the other donations, the project is supported with monetary donations by organizations, businesses and individuals.