聽 聽 聽Arcola School's SMACK (Students Making A Change with Kindness) Club is once again supporting the Carlyle and District Food Bank with a food drive at the school, making it a Christmas tradition.
聽聽聽聽 At press time, the school collected a total of 932 pounds of food, with the grade one and two classes collecting 108 pounds each and the grade 11/12 split class collecting the top total of 137 pounds of food.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淧eople definitely need the food bank all year round,鈥� says SMACK member and grade 12 student, Jordan Johnston. 鈥淐hristmas is a time when people get together with their families over a special meal. We want to help people who maybe can't afford to buy food and who might go without. We'd like to help everyone have the food they need, especially at Christmas.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 Johnston says the school's student body enthusiastically embraced SMACK's first food drive in 2013. 鈥淟ast Christmas, we raised 1,100 pounds of food for the food bank,鈥� she says. We're on our way to that this year. There's a competition between classes, and everyone really gets into it.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he final day of the competition was a real surprise last year. No one wants to give away how much is collected, so the last three days are when the most food is brought in.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 Teacher Whitney Paul agrees. 鈥淭here's a competition and the prize is a pizza party. But I think the students aren't motivated by that as much as there is a better awareness about the food bank with them. We have a school breakfast program; they are aware of that. And with SMACK, I notice that the students are a lot more aware. It begins with volunteering in our community and in other communities. We talk about things like the food bank.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淪MACK has made the students much more conscious and much nicer to each other.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e started SMACK last year,鈥� says Johnston. 鈥淎 couple of friends and myself felt a need for youth to get out into the community, helping people in our own community. Just to help people out of the goodness of our hearts, not for any special reason.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e've helped at town rummage sales this year and last year,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t's run by some older ladies in our community. Last year at Christmas, we went to the nursing home in Carlyle and decorated cookies with the residents there. They loved it, and we were invited to come back this year, so we're going to go back in January. And last year was our first year and we supported the food bank.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 SMACK is open to students from grades seven to 12 and Johnston says the time commitment is flexible.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e have a core group of members,鈥� says Johnston. 鈥淲e meet and discuss ideas, pick an event, announce it at school and people can sign up on the bulletin board.鈥�
聽聽聽 鈥淪tudents can sign up anytime, for a single project at a time, or more. Any time they can give is appreciated.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淭ime is precious,鈥� adds Paul. 鈥淏y giving of themselves, the students are a lot more aware when they are volunteering in our community and other places.鈥澛�
