Reigan Crawford
Sugar Beet staff writer
On Saturday, March 3, Garden City Student Council joined forces with the local United Way and GCCC Art Department to help raise money for the Kansas Food Bank, more specifically the Food4Kids project.
What is Food4Kids? This program is set up for student pre-K to eight grade, students who have a need for food. These students are sent home with a backpack full of food on the weekends. Backpacks are filled with food that children of all ages can open and enjoy. Examples of food students receive are peanut butter, beans and franks, beef jerky, cereal, fruit cups, raisins, pudding cups, juices, milk (that do not require refrigeration), and granola bars. If the student has a younger sibling that also needs meals for the weekend Food4Kids will also supply them food.
Food4Kids started in the USD 457 school district seven years ago after teachers, counselors, nurses and administrators realized there was a need for meals to be sent home with students for the weekend. “Empty bowls was important to me because to me because I had seen the need for food when I was in school also. While I was in intermediate school, I would see kids with food packets and I wondered why they took the, home. So it meant a lot for me to be apart of this fundraiser,” Luz Labra, health and trade academy senior said.
Show choir performed three songs to start off the night. After the performance the empty bowl attendees were served by student council members who also provided bread, salad, homemade soups, drinks and deserts for the event. Following being served Janie Perkins ,along with two teachers who work hands on with the program, spoke about the need for the food4kids program in the community and how everyone who attended the event was helping a child. At the end of the fundraiser everyone who attended was able to take home a bowl that student council members made with the help of Brian Mccallum, ceramics teacher at Garden City Community College. With the help of Mr. Mccallum, student council was able to make 120 bowls.
“For the first year I thought our turnout was great and I really hope student council make the empty bowls fundraiser an annual event,” Raegan Linenberger, trade academy senior, said.
The fundraiser seemed to be very successful, achieving the goal student council wanted to donate. “We are really fortunate to have Mr. Lappin’s Buffalo Coffee Shop match our proceeds and with that donate around $4,000 to food4kids,” Janet Hackett said.
Student council still has a few bowls available that can be purchased for $10 in Mrs. Hacketts room T125. They will present a check to the Food4Kids representatives when the final is totaled.
Reigan Crawford is a health and trade academy senior. You may contact her at crawfordr1@student.gckschools.com.
Garden City High School 