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Pictorial
Highland High School's nutrition and wellness class Highland Elementary School third graders, including (l-r) Patricia Lindsay, Allison Stump and Dale Smith, with a pizza party for bringing in the most food for a food drive to feed the hungry in Highland County. The community service project started as a study of hunger in America by Jackie Stephenson's students. It turned into a multiclass project with third through fifth grades participating in a food drive. The food was given to Highland County Social Services for redistribution to those in need in our area. Pat Boger of social services said, "Most food drives are held around Christmas or Thanksgiving, but the need continues throughout the year." We get busy with our normal, everyday lives after the holidays and forget there are people struggling to make ends meet, not only in distant lands, but also in our own backyards. Recent statistics show the price of essential items, like food, is rising faster than other consumer goods. Combined with increases in fuel costs, housing and clothing, and the overall weakening economy, some in our area are having to make unthinkable choices such as whether to eat or buy gas to go to work. It's no shame to be poor and hungry; it is a shame to ignore those who are. There are plenty of opportunities to help throughout the year. The students at Highland County Public Schools remind us of one easy way to help those in the most need - donate food to a local food bank or social services office.We all shop; consider adding something extra to the basket and share it with those who can't afford to buy nutritious foods for their family. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network has food drives year round. Starting April 1, a "Fill the Toyota with Food" drive will begin at Valley Supermarket in Mitchelltown. The drive is sponsored by McDonough Toyota of Staunton and the goal is to fillone of the Toyotas with 1,000 pounds of food by the end of the summer. The Blue Ridge food bank network says that approximately 270 residents of Highland and nearly 360 residents of Bath live in poverty. Social Services didn't say, but a certain number of those are not able to meet basic needs of food and shelter. Stephenson's class discovered that 12.5 million children in the United States are hungry. "Hungry children suffer from unwanted weight loss, headaches, lack of sleep, failure to concentrate, and frequent colds," the students' report said. "Hungry children are more likely to be ill and absent from school." Certainly, growing more and better-paying jobs in our counties is one solution, but that takes time. For some, the need is too urgent to wait for a better paycheck. We are often told we are to model appropriate behaviors for our children's sake. In this instance, our children are modeling appropriate behaviors for us. They've taken time from their innocent lives to think about those who are less fortunate. In their protected world of school and home, most of them are usually immune from the adult problems that plague our society. These children proved that even the very young can feel compassion for their neighbors and act in a positive way to bring about change. Let's follow their lead and do the same.
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