Oswego Community Unit School District 308 issued the following announcement on Sept. 11.
Hunger is less prevalent in our community thanks to the Kendall County Community Food Pantry providing thousands of food and household items to families every month. For the fifth consecutive year, Oswego Community Unit School District 308 will help to keep pantry shelves well stocked and your assistance is needed!
For the first time, School District 308 has teamed up with Allied First Bank and Aramark to put on a Community Collection Day Celebration, a fun way to come together as a community and give to those in need. You’re invited Saturday, September 29, from 11am to 1pm at Allied First Bank in Oswego to come out and enjoy music, games, food, prizes, cheerleaders, mascots, and more! Bring a donation for the Food Pantry, and you’ll receive a free lunch! District Partner businesses will be there with special offers, including cash incentives for the Food Pantry and any new customer opening an account at Allied First Bank. Donations and incentives can be counted towards any SD 308 school’s collection total.
Starting on September 24 through October 3, schools in the district will participate in the district’s annual food drive competition. The food drive will serve as a unified promotion between the elementary schools, junior highs, and high schools leading up to the Crosstown Challenge football game on October 5. The winning schools will be announced at halftime of the Varsity game, awarded with a coveted title and trophy.
In 2014 the district made an inaugural donation to the Kendall County Food Pantry of 58,000 items, the largest single donation ever made to the pantry. That record was shattered in 2015 when the district collected over 85,000 items, again in 2016 with over 113,000 items, and in 2017 with a record breaking 126,932 items!
With the community’s help in 2018, Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Sparlin said he hopes this will be another record breaking year for the food drive. “This will be our fifth year of our students, parents, and staff coming together to help combat hunger in the area,” Sparlin said. “This is a wonderful way to align our efforts, while the students learn about hunger and the importance of giving back to the community. By working together, every little bit counts.”
The winners of the food drive will be determined by the total number of items collected at each school. There will be winners declared at the elementary level, junior-high level, and high-school level.
Donation boxes will be available in all schools from September 24 to October 3. There will be donations boxes out in our community as well to help support our efforts of giving. Fans attending the Crosstown Challenge football game will receive a raffle ticket for each can of food they bring and a chance to win prizes announced throughout the game.
Donations include non-perishable food items, baby care items, pet food, and household supplies like paper goods and cleaning products. The food drive occurs at a critical time before the holiday season, when food donations are needed most. It also aligns the efforts of individual schools to maximize the community’s impact in fighting hunger locally.
For more information please visit www.SD308.org/fooddrive.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Oswego Community Unit School District 308
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