Food drive, military donations fill up on campus
Tis the season to be giving. Christmas is nearly here and those at San Benito High School are getting in touch with their inner St. Nick, as San Benito High School recently had a canned food drive for the homeless.
An email was sent out to all the teachers to receive a barrel for their classrooms. Not every teacher received a barrel for canned food, but that did not stop the collections. Both students and teachers brought in dozens upon dozens of bags filled with canned food to be donated.
Carissa Filice, a chemistry teacher at SBHS, said “kids need to be reminded that not everyone has it easy.”
Filice went on to explain that she has been involved in any toy or food drive she could since she was a young girl.
“Every little bit counts,” Filice. “It helped me recognize how lucky I am.”
The giving at SBHS does not stop at canned food for the needy. Some people on campus have become involved in Operation Interdependence: A Civilian-to-Military Delivery System. O.I. is a volunteer system that helps to provide American soldiers with everyday necessities and comfort from home.
Brianna Roberts, a junior at SBHS, has been volunteering at O.I. for a year and a half.
“It feels really good to give back,” Roberts said.
With the help of math teacher Tracey Holmes, Roberts has brought O.I. to campus this year.
“Because the war is not on our doorsteps, some forget just how much the soldiers are giving up and how much they need our support,” Holmes said.
Both Holmes and Roberts have close ties to the military. Holmes’ father and uncle were in the Navy and her uncle was in the Army. Robert’s brother is now stationed in Afghanistan.
Every Tuesday from 4 to 6:30 p.m., Roberts and many others volunteer at O.I. There they have collected various toiletry, food, and comfort items to send the to troops whereever they may be. The volunteers pack boxes containing 50 quart-sized bags packed with various items. Most important, each bag contains a handwritten letter from home to let the troops know just how much they are appreciated for the sacrifices they make every day to give America its freedom.
“I love volunteering for such a great cause. O.I. is always taking new volunteers,” Roberts said.
“It is really good to put our opinions of war aside to help those who really need it,” Holmes said.
