COPPERAS COVE, TX (Nov. 21, 2022)— House Creek Elementary fifth grader Addison Clawson picked up extra chores, saved allowance, and collected more than $200 over the past year. But instead of purchasing something for herself, she chose to pay it forward this Thanksgiving holiday by purchasing 255 non-perishable food items for her school’s Food for Families Food Drive.
“These people need food for Thanksgiving. I decided I would give them food,” Clawson said. “I really want to be someone that inspires somebody to do the right thing.”
In part due to Clawson’s donation, House Creek Elementary collected 2,540 lbs. of food this year, more than 1,000 pounds over last year and the highest amount in the school district.
"It is so important for our students to have the opportunity to serve others and learn what it means to be selfless and how it feels to help create a society that looks out for others,” Simpson said. “Our fifth grade Elementary Student 2 Student members were instrumental in collecting, sorting, and loading the food. The smiles on their faces and the drive in their actions were proof that they understood the importance of what they were doing."
Copperas Cove High School collected the second highest amount of food in the school district 3,487 items totaling over 2,180 pounds. The Pride of Cove Band won the contest donating 1,540 items followed by the football team that collected 1,005 items.
Clements/Parsons Elementary collected 236 items. Elementary Student 2 Student members collected food at the beginning of each day after morning announcements, boxed up canned goods, and loaded them for delivery to the food bank.
“We provided families with the necessities which they wouldn’t usually have access to in the Central Texas area this holiday season,” school counselor Yoshenobia Harris said.
Williams/Ledger Elementary students and staff collected 551 pounds of food.
“I gave because I have plenty and others don't,” said first grader Tegan Johnson.
“People need food to stay healthy and some may be sick because they don't have food,” second grader Adalyn Holliman said.
Martin Walker Elementary collected 1,019 pounds for Food for Families. In addition to items for Thanksgiving, the students also brought in boxes of cereal.
“In communicating with a local food bank, it was brought to my attention that although they truly appreciated the canned goods, sometimes cereal is more valuable and needed by the members of our community that they serve,” said school counselor, Hillary Newton.
Newton turned the lesson into an applied mathematics lesson lining the nearly 200 boxes of cereal down the school's hallways and then watching them tumble one by one like dominos. The speed at which the boxes fell depended mainly on how far apart they were.
With the collections of all of CCISD’s schools combined, the district historically raises approximately 10,000 pounds of food for the Food for Families drive. The donations support local food pantries including My Brothers House with the Holy Family Catholic Church and Baptist Benevolence Association.
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