FARMINGTON — Students on the Mt. Blue Campus collected 1,300 food items and drinks for the school’s very own food closet — a food closet many teachers and students didn’t know existed, according to Judy Harmon, Class of 2018 adviser.
Students are able to eat breakfast and lunch at the school. But on weekends or during school vacations, some of those students do not have access to food, she said.
When students are hungry, they don’t feel well and often visit the school nurse, who would feed the students from a small food closet of provisions, she said.
When sophomore Grace McIntosh learned about the hunger issue, she suggested holding a food drive for the student food closet.
The sophomore class got behind her and created a two-week competition among the 58 home rooms throughout the school, Harmon said. The food drive ended last Friday.
The winning home room brought in 192 items and each student in the class received a certificate to spend at the school store. It was a little incentive and made the project fun, she said.
Students brought in healthy snacks, individual soups and items that can easily be microwaved, because some students do not have the option of cooking, she said. Some are not necessarily homeless, but they move from one place to another.
Pasta, canned soup, 100 percent juice and toiletry items such as toothpaste, brushes and deodorant were also collected, she said. Hannaford supermarket donated bags.
Any student can now go to a teacher with whom they feel comfortable and request items from the food closet. Many items are backpack-ready to alleviate discomfort or embarrassment.
Class of 2018 officers spearheaded the project, including Griffin Mayhew, president; Ben Andrews, vice president; Andrea Jones, treasurer; and Gracie Foss, secretary.
Numerous other students helped collect and count the items. Class of 2018 adviser Bonita Lehigh also helped, Harmon said.
The students enjoyed working on the project and it brought a new awareness. Now students and teachers know it is there to use, she said.
The Student Council plans to take on the project and hold another food drive in the spring. They plan to do two or three a year to keep the food closet stocked, she said.
abryant@sunmediagroup.net
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