In a charitable effort coinciding with this year’s Homecoming festivities, the Clover Hill Food Pantry is hosting a food drive from Oct. 16-20. Students can donate throughout the week in front of the library before school and at the homecoming football game on Oct. 20.
Organizers ask for donations of canned food such as fruit, vegetables, soup and beans. In addition, they are asking for non-perishable foods such as dried pasta, rice, peanut butter and powdered milk. Because those items are inconvenient to eat at school, snacks and microwaveable food items would be greatly appreciated.
Senior Jayla Adkins, one of the co-leaders of the Clover Hill Food Pantry, emphasized the importance of microwavable items.
“Usually we get cans from students,” Adkins said. “We would honestly prefer microwavable food just because it’s something you can have at home and in school.”
Donating to the cause not only fosters a spirit of community but also offers a special incentive to students. For every donation made before school during the week of homecoming, students can send a “spooky pop” to their classmates. In this case, a “spooky pop” is a Dum Dum lollipop. There is no donation limit, but only a maximum of 10 spooky pops can be sent. Students and ambassadors will be available to assist with the quick response, QR codes that lead to filling out the information needed to send a spooky pop to a friend.
“When you give a donation, you are able to send Dum Dums to your friends,” Adkins explained. “We put a max on ten.”
For those who are unable to donate before school, aonations can be dropped off beside the bleachers between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm on Oct. 20.
“We’re going to be out there from six to eight,” Adkins said. “We’re not accepting spooky pops just because we won’t know who’s from the school, and who’s not.”
Adkins recognizes the uncertainty of life and that anything can happen to anybody. Anything from fires to illness to major injury happens and a family might have much more than food to worry about, so the food pantry is there to support them.
“I don’t think people really understand the area we’re in, that there’s a lot of people that are underprivileged, and that anything can happen,” Adkins said. “I would hate to think that there are kids in the hallway that are walking around that are hungry, that are angry, and they’re not able to do well in school just because something random happens.”
For future information about the food pantry, follow the Clover Hill Food Pantry on Instagram @chhsfoodpantry.
