GRANITE FALLS — It starts with word of mouth.
A teacher worried about a student. A student worried about a friend. A friend worried about a neighbor.
That’s how volunteers with the Granite Falls School District’s annual food and gift drive start building a list of families in need. They expect to “adopt” more than 200 local families this year, providing each with nonperishable food, a coupon for holiday meal supplies and gifts.
The food drive has been a December tradition since 2003, when there were three student coordinators and 40 families to feed. They collected 7,209 items and it seemed like chaos putting it all together, food drive adviser Eric Dinwiddie said.
On Tuesday, 13 student coordinators, all juniors and seniors, gathered in a classroom to plan and talk. Last year, volunteers collected more than 22,000 items and $10,500. They’ve set this year’s goal at 22,000 items and $11,000 in cash and gifts.
They kicked things off Monday with a school assembly and video, hoping to get students excited about helping. Homeroom classes compete to see which can bring in the most food and money.
“I saw a food drive video my seventh grade year and thought, ‘Wow, I want to do that,’” student volunteer Cassie O’Brien said. “It’s a good experience to help other people and know what it’s like to make a difference in someone else’s life.”
Many food drives collect items that are distributed by a local or regional food bank, assistant adviser Trudy Sullivan said. That’s not the case in Granite Falls. From start to finish, the effort stays in-house.
Volunteers build the list of families and track information such as ages and people per household. They know how much to box up and which boxes need diapers, baby food and other specific items. Students ask local businesses to sponsor the food drive by donating money or letting students stand out front and collect donations.
The food and gift drive continues until Dec. 14. Items can be dropped off at the Granite Falls high school, alternative school, middle school or either of the elementaries. There also is a giving tree in each school with requests from local families.
“A lot of people, they’re not asking for wants, they’re asking for needs,” student volunteer Jeremy Miller said. “They’re asking for pillows or sheets or a pair of socks.”
Fellow volunteer Katy Phillips knows what it’s like to need a helping hand. She and her mom had some tough years when she was younger. Many of her friends and family still do, and she directs them to the food drive or other places where they can get support.
“I’ve been in those positions where you need help or you need food stamps or you’re staying at someone’s house because you can’t pay for something,” she said. “I like that I can be part of a solution to something I’ve actually grown up with.”
About a third of the families who are receiving food this year are students’ families. Staff volunteers deliver to those homes to protect privacy. A lot of students don’t want their peers to know that they struggle at home, Dinwiddie said. They help with the food drive, standing in front of stores for hours with their friends to collect donations without ever letting on that some of those items are to feed their parents and siblings.
“One thing I really appreciate about our students is how much they take care of each other,” Dinwiddie said. “I can’t believe how many of the students who are receiving the food actually sign up to stand in front of the stores.”
Volunteers plan to deliver food Dec. 16 and 17. The students who put in time collecting items get to help bring food to the families. That’s the most rewarding part of the experience.
Sullivan remembers the first time she delivered food. It was for the family of a student, though she didn’t know who until they opened the door. She and the parent cried when they saw each other.
“That’s when it all clicked for me,” she said.
Those moments motivate former students to come back and help. One saves up his change every year and donates it to the food drive. Dinwiddie expects the students to make giving back to their community a lifelong habit. Having them deliver the food and meet the families is a good way to get them hooked on helping.
Those moments are why Miller decided to help with the food drive this year.
“Just to see the look on someone’s face when you hand them a box of food and say here’s something to get you by for a while, we’ve got your back,” he said.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
What to bring
Items needed for the food drive include:
Water, juice and drink mixes
Baking supplies such as flour and sugar
Rice, pasta and cereal
Canned soup, fruit and vegetables
Peanut butter and jelly
Baby food and supplies
Toiletries such as shampoo and deoderant
Pet food
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