On Saturday, December 9th, M-A students distributed red and yellow bags and boxes at the Ecumenical Hunger Program in East Palo Alto (EPA). The M-A community collected 272,188 pounds of non-perishable goods over the course of November and December in its annual Canned Food Drive (CFD). These cans and packaged goods provided food for hundreds of families in the surrounding community.
Organized weeks prior by the Leadership students, the day was starting to be a huge success. Leadership students arrived at 6:45 A.M. to help set up before families and the M-A community came in.
At 8:00 A.M, there was a line going around the block and students hustled to create carts with bags of food to give to the families. Volunteers took breaks from making bags of produce and running food out to families’ cars by eating donuts and coffee and drinking water provided by the PTA. By 11:00 A.M., there were no cans left to deliver but there were still hundreds of bags of fresh food left, purchased by monetary donations. Leadership students were quick to come up with a solution by giving ten bags to each family instead of five.
Sophomore Millo Skhiri said, “It’s very fulfilling to be here today and deliver these cans to people in need. I love seeing the smiles on their faces when we finish loading their cars.”
Senior and leadership student Sophie Robbins said, “It is awesome to help hundreds of families within our community and to see everyone rally behind such an important cause.”
Students from all grades were packing bags full with items like celery, potatoes, eggs, and toilet paper. Students and staff were separated into different stations to unbox the food, pack them into bags, load them onto the carts, or deliver them to the family’s cars.
Freshman Ivy Watrous said, “The best part of the CFD is that we are bringing together the M-A community and the community of East Palo Alto, and connecting with other students.”
As for the CFD competitions, Juniors collected the most cans with a whooping 91,088 pounds of food, leaving sophomores, with 64,245 cans, in the dust. The Real M-A Chess Community and the Dance Team were the winners of the club and athletics competitions.
By 11:00 A.M., the food was completely distributed, which has not happened in the past five years––a testament to the Bears’ organization and efficiency.
Reflecting on Distribution Day, freshman and leadership student Willow Basta said, “Honestly, I wish there was more food to give because I had to tell someone that we were all out of food. They came all the way out here and didn’t get what they were supposed to have gotten. I feel horrible thinking about that family but it just makes me want to work harder next year so no family has to be hungry over the holidays. I know hunger is an issue every day, and I’m just glad that I, the leadership team, and everyone else could chip a bit off the problem.”
Leadership’s goal for the 2023 CFD was 350,000 pounds of food. By December 4th, M-A was only 69% percent of the way with 250,000 cans. However, in the final days, the bears clutched up and reached 78% of cans.
Junior and leadership student Lainey Egnal ended M-A’s 2023 Distribution Day with, “I love being able to make an impact and make the holiday season a little brighter for those in the community.”
