HARRISON CENTRAL Student Council members recently their held annual Thanksgiving canned food drive. They donated 464 items to the local food pantry. Some of the students who helped pack everything to be donated and taken to the food pantry include, from left, Jacob Shoup, Maria Roush, Jacob Mattern, Bailey Eberhart and Hayden Shaw. Photo Provided
CADIZ — Students at a local high school recently gathered food to donate to those less fortunate, just in time for Thanksgiving.
Sara Hawthorne, a business teacher at Harrison Central High School, said the student council recently held its annual Thanksgiving food drive, which is held every year to donate canned food and other non-perishable items to the Cadiz Food Pantry.
Hawthorne said the council has been organizing the food drive for five years now, and she first began the event back when she became the adviser to the student council.
“We just kind of made it a student council tradition,” she said.
The student council placed a box in every homeroom where students at the school could drop off canned goods, dry food, or other non-perishable items. Hawthorne said the students are generally enthusiastic about the drive, bringing in items almost daily for the pantry. The council does give the student body a little extra incentive — the homeroom that brought in the most food was rewarded with a cookie cake from Great American Cookies.
Hawthorne said this year, students turned in 464 items, which were then donated by the student council to the food pantry, which is about the normal amount turned in. She said she is happy by how the drive has grown since she started it, and hopes students learn about giving to those who might not have as much.
“I kind of wanted to start that so students could see what its like, and feel good giving to others in need,” Hawthorne said. “They do get pretty excited to get into it for the most part.”
Even though the food drive is now over, the Harrison Central Student Council isn’t done for the season yet. Hawthorne said they are preparing for another fundraiser, with their annual Breakfast with Santa from 8-11 a.m. Dec. 2 in the Harrison Community Hospital Cafeteria.
Tickets will be $5 for a pancake breakfast and can be purchased from any Student Council member or at the door the day of the event. The money from the event will go to purchase Christmas presents for two children, a boy and a girl, that are sponsored through the Harrison County Department of Job and Family Services. Tickets can be purchased from any student council member, or at the door the day of the event.
