In preparation for the holidays, Carlmont’s food drive helped collect food for donations to local food-insecure families.
From Nov. 6 to Nov. 21, third-period classes competed to collect the most food. The class that collected the most will win either a doughnut or pizza party, according to Carlmont Associated Student Body (ASB) adviser Jim Kelly.
Students could contribute in various ways, including donating nonperishable and canned foods or gift cards.
First, the counseling department acts as a liaison by working to identify and contact local food-insecure families. ASB then plans the drive, including planning announcements and advertisements to encourage student participation.
“All of the food goes to local families. Our counseling department has identified families in the local community who are in need. They don’t have enough money to have a holiday dinner,” Kelly said.
Sophomore Mia Ikeda donated because she wanted to help families.
“I donated because there are some people that can’t eat during Thanksgiving, and it’s hard for them to enjoy Thanksgiving break when there’s no school-provided food,” Ikeda said.
According to Carlmont counselor Julia Smith, many families in the Carlmont community cannot afford holiday gifts, let alone holiday dinners. The department works with Carlmont faculty to find families, then, after composing a list, ensures that it remains confidential.
“We are working with around 55 families, but there are more we haven’t reached out to. We send out referrals to staff members if they know of families they want to refer. The counseling department contacted families that could use the support,” Smith said.
However, the list only includes a portion of food-insecure families at Carlmont. The counseling department acknowledges the fact that there are additional families that can benefit from the food drive donations.
“We are always welcome to students or families that self-identify, and we don’t want to make assumptions. It’s a balance between not making any assumptions and making sure people get what they need,” Smith said.
According to Smith, if a student thinks their family would benefit from the food drive, they should reach out to their counselor.
“I always encourage talking to your counselor if your families are in need because even beyond the food drive, students can receive college application fee waivers, fee waivers for any AP test,” Smith said.
However, some students think the food drive could be more successful.
“I have seen few people donate,” said Carlmont junior Catherine Wang. “People aren’t taking the food drive that seriously. It’s not advertised enough. I know Mr. Kelly sends out emails every day, but it’s not enough to get people to donate.”
Nevertheless, ASB stresses the importance of the drive.
“We’re looking at one to two bags of groceries and 40 dollars worth of gift cards per family,” Kelly said.
While the food drive ended on Nov. 21, students may continue to donate gift cards at the ASB room until winter break.
Though the drive is incentivized, many students choose to participate regardless.
“Most of the students don’t need the motivation of the competition,” Kelly said. “They’re willing to donate just because it’s a good cause.”
