Searcy (LP) Every year the National Honor Society (NHS) chapter at Searcy High School hosts an annual food drive. The drive gives students the opportunity to serve the community and help those in need. In years past the drive has been community-wide and the club collects cans or non-perishable food items for the Good Samaritan Center. The Student Council at Searcy High School recently opened a school food pantry for students. The Council collects meal items and hygiene products that can be packed into a ziploc bag and SHS students who might not have anything to eat at home are able to pick one up in Mrs. Jones’ room at any time. NHS decided to partner up with the school pantry given the reason that they wanted to help those students in need. Mica Rose, one of the teacher sponsors of NHS, believed the drive went very well and she was very happy with the way the club members and SHS students reacted to the new way of the drive. She said, “We were very pleased and I think they responded better because they were helping their peers and it showed they really care about each other.”
There is much advertising that goes on during the week of the food drive. The members of NHS can gain service points for advertising and spreading the word about the drive. Making posters or speaking in a class were two different ways to advertise. There were specific members assigned to each grade and the students in those grades were given different items to bring throughout the week. The ninth graders were given the less expensive items, the tenth and eleventh graders normal priced items, and the seniors were given the more expensive items needed. Each grade went above and beyond for the drive this year and NHS President Hope Walker noticed a large response made by the students. Walker said, “I don’t remember hearing much about the NHS food drive in previous years, but I noticed a lot of people bringing in food this year and that was really encouraging.” NHS had a goal of making this year’s drive better than the years before and that were very successful with reaching that goal.
The entire SHS student body collected 2,958 items overall. Even though the drive was set up differently and the students were used to bringing canned foods, they proved they do care about one another. “Sitting next to kids everyday that they know are struggling gave them more ownership and they felt more invested,” Mrs. Rose states. Being able to supply food and hygiene products to people that we know and see everyday instead of an organization in town really grabbed the students attention and made them want to help more than they had before. NHS plans to continue to help the Student Council food pantry for upcoming food drives and believe they will be as or perhaps even more successful as they were this year.
