Oswego Community Unit School District 308 issued the following announcement on Oct. 7
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 eighth consecutive year, Oswego Community Unit School District 308 will help to keep pantry shelves well stocked and your assistance is needed!
Starting on October 4 through October 13, 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 15. 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, and a shattering record in 2019 with a combined items and "cash equivalent" items of 286,611!
Even during the pandemic, last year totaled 139,152 items and cash equivalent. The reigning winning schools are Churchill, Plank, and OHS. This year the district should hit a million items, with the last 7 years cumulative total of "items" collected: 953,259.
With the community’s help, Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Sparlin said he hopes this will be another record breaking year for the food drive. “This will be our eighth 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.
We want to encourage everyone to donate online using the following link: www.kccfoodpantry.org/SD308. In the U.S., the average cost of food per person is: $11.05/day; $77.35/week; $342.50/month, with the Pantry’s bulk buying power ability to purchase $8 of groceries for every $1,your $10 donation would feed someone for a week and give your child’s school credit for 80 food items in the Food Drive Competition!
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.
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