JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two neighboring Jefferson County schools put aside their friendly rivalry Friday and came together for the greater good.
The end result will help hundreds of families in need.
The March for Hunger is an annual tradition that pairs student council members from Seckman and Windsor High Schools.
The goal behind the march is much bigger than school pride. The students set out to collect as much donated food as possible and deliver it to Sister Christine’s Food Pantry in Imperial.
“It's a whole lot of community unity,” said Windsor High School sophomore Delana Mentel. “It's just everybody coming together and it's a super cool experience.”
“With Windsor helping we can add a whole other district and it's a lot more people than just us,” added Seckman High School junior Zack Cheek. “With just us it wouldn't be as much of an impact and we're trying to make as big an impact as possible.”
Sister Christine’s Food Pantry director, Mike Kirn, said drives like the March for Hunger keep the pantry going during the slow months after the holidays.
“Ninety-percent of the food we get in here comes from the food drives. It really, really helps us,” said Kirn.
And every bit of it goes to good use.
“It was 21,532 people we served last year. Just the look on, especially the kids’ faces, is really heartwarming,” he said.
Although the drive filled an entire school bus with food, Kirn said the donations will be gone quicker than you might think.
“This will last a month,” he said.
All the more reason the students are already looking forward to next year's march.
“It changes people's lives,” said Cheek.
Kirn said Sister Christine’s Food Pantry is always is always in need of more donations and more volunteers. Click here to learn more about the organization.
