By Meera Patel, NJHS Historian, Class of ‘28
The annual Middle School Food Drive, run and managed by the National Junior Honor Society of the Middle School, was a blast this year. Supporting the Buses N’ Backpacks, a nonprofit organization that supplies students in need of food and other amenities, the middle school brought in spices, soaps, and snacks, bringing in over 800 items donated in total. While being a great way to bring back to the community, our student body made food drive quantities into a friendly competition, such as with the 7th grade advisories, bringing in 476 items altogether as a result of their rivalry. Many advisories set goals to reach, such as reaching 100 goals for an advisory, and they would be rewarded by their advisor if they reach their goal.
Members of the NJHS stated the benefits of the food drive and how competitive the food drive became. Below are some of their statements:
- Lily McMillen – I think the teachers really wanted to beat each other a lot, which also drove the students because they set up goals and prizes like pizza parties for a certain amount of items brought. The food drive turned out great and every grade met their goal.
- Dylan Bova – The food drive was a blast. It is always fun to see all of the students actively participating and bringing in items to support Buses N’ Backpacks. Some of the advisories even had competitions to see who could bring in the most items, which made the experience so much fun but also an amazing opportunity to make a difference in our community!
- Kishan Patel – It is always nice to see all of the students actively engaged and bringing in donations to help Buses N’ Backpacks. The food drive was an amazing opportunity for MVA to be in and help with. To make the experience even more enjoyable and to give everyone the chance to positively impact our community, several of the advisors even held competitions to see who could bring in the most stuff!
- Lucas Caltagirone – The food drive was awesome. I got to see people helping the community and see competition between advisors. It was really awesome to be able to help the community and bring food to help. Everyone was so positive, and some advisories even threw advisory parties if they hit a goal. Overall, it was a super cool experience to be able to help the community.
- Olivia Fontana – The food drive was a great opportunity! Every year we do it, more and more people join and it really expresses our want to help the community. We have helped so many kids and families, and I’m so happy for everyone’s generosity! I hope we get to do another opportunity like this again because we can help even more people with the amount of items we collect.
- Nidhi Krishna – The food drive was really fun. The teachers got really competitive, which was hilarious. I used to go to a school where I saw other kids needing buses and backpacks, and I am so glad that I get to help and the whole school can help impact young children’s lives.
- Aleena Mousa – The food drive was fun to be part of! I also learned that reward from being charitable can not only be external but also what you feel after. When I donated some of my own favorite food items, I imagined people my age that’ll experience the same kind of joy I feel when I eat my favorite foods. Overall, I think it was impactful to see the whole school come together for one cause: to help those who are less fortunate and to give them the simple pleasantries of life that we all deserve.
- Akylah Shirley – I think that every year the food drive is great! I love that as a school we can have a little friendly competition but also make sure we’re giving back. I love that everyone had a great attitude and was ready to help out people who are less fortunate who don’t have the same opportunities that we may have. The food drive has been very successful over the years, and I would love to continue doing it even though I won’t be in middle school next year. Overall, I had a great experience!
- Logan Tempel – I think that the food drive is a great way for MVA to help give back to its community while also gathering its own community for a common goal. It helps raise awareness not just for Montverde Academy’s community but the community around us as well and to better that. It is a really good way to have the whole school be involved in a goal, and it is a good way to become more selfless and give back . The encouragement and participation also makes the energy around the school drive much more significant.
- Lyla Langley – I think that the food drive is a great way that MVA contributes to the community as a whole. This is a really good way to get the whole school to contribute for a goal to raise awareness and to help the community.
- Nikita Verma – It was such an honor to be a part of the food drive this year. Almost everyone pitched in to help those who are less fortunate and don’t have the same opportunities as others. It was truly an amazing experience to see advisories setting goals and exceeding them. I hope that more opportunities like this are available soon!
Overall, the Soaps, Snacks, and Spices Food Drive was a big hit and will help many people have a meal while going through tough times.
Learn more about Buses N’ Backpacks at https://www.servingsouthlake.org.