It is a yearly tradition for Mishawaka High School students (MHS) to participate in the school’s annual food drive. MHS students and staff have been collecting money, food, and household items since November to help local families in need.
“This is our 38th year, but it has changed significantly from the beginning,” said Vincent Ferro, MHS math teacher and one of the main coordinators of the MHS food drive. Ferro helps run the food drive with Courtney Brummett and Mary Stantz, who also teach at MHS. According to Ferro, students used to collect items for a specific family that they were assigned. Now, the student body and staff collectively gather items for various families in need.
“This year we’re at around 110 [families]. They come for nonperishable food items, and get a grocery certificate to go shopping for milk, meat, cheese. That’s what the money we’ve been collecting is going towards,” said Ferro. All of the benefiting families are from the School City of Mishawaka (SCM), including all elementary schools, the middle school, and the high school.
Caity Hess, a senior at MHS who helped out with the food drive, stated, “It feels good to know that there are people who are able to have a better Christmas because of us. It also helps remind us of how blessed we all are to have the things that we do.” Ferro added, “My favorite part is seeing how much a community can pull together to help those that need it.”
The food that does not get used in the SCM food drive is donated to several area churches and the local food bank.
By:: Lauren Raven, Marketing Manager