Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Carts stacked with boxes of canned goods and boxes filled with food. Cereal and other non-perishable food items lined a table. These all filled the entrance to the Indiana School in Park Forest on Tuesday morning. The Matteson School District 162 school, which serves students in fifth and sixth grade, collected more than 2,000 items to donate to the Rich Township Food pantry.
Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan and his team came to the school on Tuesday to collect the items which he said will benefit several families.
“It means a lot when you get the youth concerned about helping families,” Jordan said. “This shows the kind of heart and concern that they have. It really means a lot.”
Tracye Hutsona, Indiana School’s principal, shared the background of the project. A teacher, Aubrey Schuh, came up with the idea to have a food drive to celebrate the 100th day of school and give back to the community.
“We are a part of the community,” Hutsona said. “Anything we can do to help our families, we are happy to do that.”
The project involved the entire school with classes competing to see who could bring the most items for the food pantry. Moreover, the school collected the food in only one week, Hutsona said.
“Our students are learning valuable lessons beyond math, reading, and writing,” said Dr. Blondean Y. Davis, superintendent of Matteson School District 162. “They are also learning the importance of giving back to their community.”
Background on the Food Pantry
Jordan said the township serves thousands of people a month, providing much-needed food, including fresh produce.
As a result of increasing food prices, Jordan said donations like the one Indiana School made make a real impact. Jordan said that he is excited about the partnership with the school. The township plans to give back to the school by having a pizza party for students soon.
This news item was supplied by School District 162.
