The annual March for Hunger event yielded more than 10,000 food items this year, Seckman High School junior Rainey Slavens said.
The annual event is organized by Seckman and Windsor high schools’ student councils to collect food that is donated to the Sister Christine’s Food Pantry at the St. Joseph Catholic Parish in Imperial.
Food items are collected on the Seckman campus, which has a high, middle and elementary school, in Imperial, and items are collected at the Windsor C-1 School District schools.
The food collection drive culminated March 26 with the high school students meeting at Mastodon State Historic Site in Imperial before they march down Seckman Road collecting items placed in boxes at the end of subdivisions as they travel to the Seckman schools campus.
“(The march) is fun,” said Slavens, who is the chair for Seckman High Student Council’s outreach committee. “We do it every year, and it shows when schools get together that you can really make a difference in the community.”
Slavens said one of the highlights of collecting the food donations from the schools and along Seckman Road is going to the elementary schools.
“At Windsor Elementary, the kids from the school bring out their food and carry it to the truck themselves,” she said. “I think that is cool every year. They usually collect the most.”
Slavens said more than 100 students from the two schools participated in the march. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies accompanied the students during the march to control traffic, and food items were placed in trailers supplied by the National Guard.
Slavens said the schools started collecting donations on March 2.
She said this year’s collection filled two trailers, which students then accompanied to the Sister Christine’s Food Pantry.
“We help them store everything,” she said. “It is rewarding. Everyone there is super nice, and they say they appreciate all of the work that we do and how it will help a lot of people.”
Slavens said she is impressed by how many people donated to the March for Hunger drive.
“It is always nice to have participation,” she said. “I think it is great, and it shows people in our community care about each other and are willing to help.”
