Beginning the first week in November, Harriton High School participated in the annual Thanksgiving food drive hosted by the National Honor Society. While the food drives in the past have been relatively successful, this year’s outcome blew the previous ones out of the water. As a community, Harriton was able to provide food for Thanksgiving for 88 families through Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth. Over 170 baskets of food were packaged and distributed the week before Thanksgiving.
What distinguished this year’s food drive from those in the past was the Hunger Games theme, based on the book series by Suzanne Collins. The NHS officers decided to incorporate a theme into the food drive this year to stimulate interest among the student body. Each grade was divided into a district, and each district competed to combat the issue of hunger.
The Hunger Games food drive was launched at the Fall Pep Rally on October 26. Although the food drive was scheduled to begin the following Monday, October 29, the drive was not underway until the following week due to complications from Hurricane Sandy. However, a week off from school was hardly a setback for the NHS food drive.
Upon their return to school, the members of NHS quickly adjusted to their daily routines and shifted gears from hurricane mode to food drive mode. Harriton students were immersed in notifications about the food drive, from verbal announcements, to signage, and even to Facebook statuses and tweets. NHS members worked diligently to promote the cause, as they advertised the food drive by standing in the student parking lot with signs and money buckets in the cold, and even in the rain and snow.
The fundraising effort for this year’s food drive was essential to its success. The NHS held a bake sale for a week and a half during lunch and raised almost $800. In addition, students were able to purchase tickets to be entered in a drawing to win the conveniently located NHS parking spot in the student lot, as well as tickets to the Harriton Theater Company production of The Giver.
As the date to deliver the food approached, the NHS was still hoping for more monetary donations to pay for 88 turkeys, one for each family to enjoy on Thanksgiving. Ms. Ranson, the NHS faculty advisor, astutely seized the opportunity to reach out to district administrators and parents at Lower Merion School Board Meeting by providing them with lists of the needed food items.
The response was overwhelming, as many donations from administrators and parents were received the next day at Harriton. The NHS was overwhelmed with joy when one family donated enough money to provide the 88 turkeys. “We never imagined that one generous parent would provide all of those! Yet, in the true Harriton family tradition this is exactly what was donated,” exclaims Ranson. The NHS was grateful for the support of the Harriton Home and School Association as well, who donated gifts cards and the baskets that were used to transport the food.
On Wednesday, November 14, NHS members counted and sorted all received food items for five hours after school. They then used the money collected to purchase the necessary items that were outstanding.
On Thursday, November 15, every advisory brought their donations to the cafeteria to be packaged for delivery to Montgomery County Office of Children and Youth. The school-wide involvement with this effort was outstanding. “Students who participated represented many groups within our student body. The Harriton Chapter of the National Honor Society had a role in hosting and facilitating the event, but it was the combined efforts of all students and our dedicated staff who made this drive to successful,” reflects Ms. Ranson.
On the morning of November 16, members of NHS as well as other Harriton students helped carry the 170 packages and place them on the bus to be delivered to MCOCY. The NHS members traveled in a separate bus due to the lack of space on the food-filled bus.
When they arrived at the facility, the NHS entered a room with 100 caseworkers who gave them a standing ovation for their meaningful efforts.
Harriton NHS President, Jessica Herrmann, comments on her experience of delivering the food as “A powerful moment. It was evident from the tears that the caseworkers shed that the organization was truly grateful for the meals that Harriton was able to provide. One caseworker described a family whose mother recently passed away from cancer, leaving the eldest daughter as the primary caretaker for her younger siblings. Thanks to the efforts of our high school, she was able to supply her family with a complete Thanksgiving dinner.” This was just one of the touching stories that NHS members heard that day that made the project so worthwhile.
After this unforgettable experience, it was revealed that the freshman class, District 9, brought in the most food and therefore won the Harriton Hunger Games. The HSA has generously agreed to host a breakfast for the ninth grade as a reward for their valiant efforts. The tentative date for the breakfast is December 21.
The NHS and Ms. Ranson thank the school community for throwing themselves at the cause and fighting hunger. Ms. Ranson discerns,”For many of us at Harriton, teaching is one of our passions, and learning is another. As faculty, when we offer new opportunities for students to serve our community, we are teaching them the process of helping others and the work it takes to accomplish these goals. Sometimes, when the odds are in your favor and you are truly fortunate, you simultaneously teach these skills while you also learn from your students. This is certainly the experience I had while participating in this year’s food drive. Can’t wait until next year!”