Streetsboro Elementary School (SES) is encouraging students, families, and community members to take part in its annual Holiday Food Drive, now underway through December 12. The initiative supports the Streetsboro Community Pantry, which provides free food to Streetsboro Families who need help meeting daily nutritional needs.
The drive is led this year by SES Speech-Language Pathologist Maddie Fetzer, who stepped forward to organize the effort after recognizing the importance of continuing the tradition. Fetzer’s leadership is helping students learn the value of service while supporting neighbors across the Streetsboro community.
The school is collecting nonperishable and nonexpired items. Most requested items from the Streetsboro Community Pantry include peanut butter, rice, tuna, Rice-A-Roni (chicken and beef), canned fruits and vegetables, soup, condiments such as ketchup, mustard and salad dressings, cereals, cake mixes and frostings.
Students can bring donations directly to their homeroom classrooms. Teachers will track daily contributions and weekly winning classes will receive small prizes such as Dunkin’ Donuts. The class that collects the most items overall by the end of the drive will earn a pizza party. Parents and community members may drop off donations in the SES lobby where a collection cart is available. Families who drop off items can fill out a ticket to ensure their students' class receives credit. “I also want students to have fun with the friendly competition,” said Fetzer.
All donations will be delivered to the Streetsboro Community Pantry at the Streetsboro United Methodist Church. As the drive continues, Fetzer plans to transport donations weekly as they come in.
Fetzer sees the impact these types of programs have on not only the community but the students involved with the collection. “I hope for students to gain experience helping others and feel proud that they can make a difference in their community,” said Fetzer.
The district encourages all Streetsboro families and community members to participate in this annual food drive and extends its appreciation to all the students, staff, and community members that make this project a success each holiday season.