During the two weeks of school before Thanksgiving, students at Strath Haven High School donated 3,112 cans and $686.00 for the school’s annual Thanksgiving food drive, according to an email announcement from Haven Helps adviser Mrs. Beth Benzing.
Cans were collected in students’ and teachers’ first block classes for the drive, which was organized by the Haven Helps service organization. The class who donated the most earned a breakfast party on their day of choice. The donations were delivered to the Media Food Bank, which would be used to support local families in need.
On Monday, November 20, Haven Helps volunteers went to classrooms during fifth block to count the amount of cans each first block class had raised.
According to Benzing, the loading process is inspirational.
“The Media Food Bank comes with usually two large pickup trucks, and Strath Haven students meet in the auditorium,” Benzing said. “They disperse and collect the cans per floor and bring it to the loading docks near the music lane and load the trucks. It all happens in fifth block, in a matter of 30, 35 minutes.”
This year, Strath Haven students collected 1,016 more cans than last year’s Thanksgiving food drive. According to Benzing, this can be attributed to its length and the hard work of the students running it. “Last year, we only donated over eight days and this year, we had two full weeks of donations,” Benzing said. “The students put a lot of time and energy into making signs and putting announcements up and being cheerleaders at promoting the food drive.”
Freshman Adam Hardy is a new student at Strath Haven who came from Media Providence Friends School. He donated Cheerios for the Thanksgiving food drive.
“It feels like a good cause, and some people aren’t as fortunate as me,” Hardy said.
The food drive takes place during Thanksgiving because the food banks are in greater need of donations.
“The food banks collect all year round. But this time of year, they donate to more families due to the holiday seasons,” Benzing said. Math teacher Ms. Kirste Tanzosh’s first block linear algebra class donated the most cans with a total of 545. According to senior Sam Harrington, competition between the linear algebra class and other classes accelerated donations.
“After we got to 350 cans and dollars, we went over to Mrs. [Ciamaichelo]… and we saw she was about at 450,” Harrington said.
“Then we were really trying to rally.”
Benzing is proud of how much the school and classes donated and participated in the event.
“The reality is, maybe the day of, you’re disappointed because you don’t win,” she said. “But ultimately, the day after, the week after, we all realize what a great thing it is to give back and how good you feel when it happens.”
