CENTERBURG — As Thanksgiving and Christmas steadily approach, many families are turning to local food pantries, soup kitchens, food banks and other services for help in this time of economic turmoil. The students at Centerburg high and middle schools have rallied together raising over 12,000 food items and $451 in cash to donate to the community’s Interchurch food pantry.
The fundraiser began Nov. 10 and ended Tuesday, giving students only eight days to collect. Teacher Mike Vargo’s first period class collected the most donations ranking first place with a total of 5,654 food items.
“They really went above and beyond the call of duty,” he said. “They really did a great job. I am proud of them, we are all proud of them.”
“I think they realize that if you help out now, it will help out later,” said Kevin Ball, student at Centerburg High School. “Maybe one day I might be in need of help.” Ball is a member of the Student Council which helped organize the fundraiser. He is also the student in the class that raised the most donations.
“This is the most our school has donated to help locally,” Ball said. “It was really amazing, we were all pumped up to help. [The students] were all for this.”
The fundraising project had a simple start that grew into a large endeavor. As a part of an optional 21st basketball game (Foundation Game) — which Centerburg Varsity and Junior Varsity teams are involved in — the teams were required to do a community service project.
“In conjunction with this game we had to do a service project,” said Jim Stoyle, school athletic director.
“So the two basketball teams and the Student Council combined to do a food drive and it got really competitive between classes,” he said.
“The winning class overall, we are going to take to a soup kitchen to serve to the homeless. To let them grasp the real meaning of what this drive is all about,” said Sherry Stoyle, staff member at Centerburg High/Middle School.
The teachers were a big help in encouraging the students to participate, although many incentives were not needed to inspire students to want to reach out. “And teachers added incentives, they added extra credit points, and teachers offered to match whatever their kids brought in,” she said.
“I think it is wonderful. We are so proud to see these kids reaching out,” said Sherry. “Grant it they had extra incentives, but the reason behind it was to take care of people in our own community and [the students] have done it.”
On Wednesday afternoon, a trailer filled with over 12,000 food items — escorted by a Knox County Sheriff’s deputy — and followed behind by a bus of enthusiastic students, traveled to Centerburg’s Interchurch food pantry to help unload goods.
“It’s thrilling, overwhelming,” commented Debbie Guarnera, branch manager for Interchurch Social Services in Centerburg. “They did a great job, and it’s all going to stay in the community to help families in Centerburg.”
“I can’t believe they raised 12,000 [items],” said Guarnera. “We had bare shelves, this will really help out.”
Already, Interchurch has received over 40 applications for Thanksgiving meals and each day they receive more and more. “This is going to really help,” she said.
“I can’t believe it keeps coming and coming,” said Guarnera as she watched a line of students haul boxes and bags of goods into the building.
A variety of food was collected from Ramen Noodles, Kool-Aid, can vegetables, boxes of macaroni and cheese, and so much more.
“It’s fun to have a variety to put in their [bags],” said Guarnera. “It’s a treat to have hot chocolate and candy bars to add to [the bundle of food given to families].”
“Look at what people working together can do,” she said.
