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December 2, 2021“One Giant Leap for CANkind.” With this theme in mind, the student council for Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School set a goal to collect 100,000 pounds of cans for the annual canned food drive. The total was the largest ever collected: 103,598 pounds.
“Not only did we surpass our goal, but we also had a huge amount of participation from the entire school community,” said Sophia Lopez, senior co-chairman of fundraising.
As a result of the impact of COVID-19, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma had received fewer donations, so bringing in a record number of cans was important to both Lopez and junior co-chair Sabrina Guzman.
“Last year, I learned the importance of creating the opportunity for involvement,” Lopez said. “Sabrina and I worked hard to host multiple events to offer many chances for students to have fun with the school community while supporting the larger community.”
These additional events collectively raised more than 44,500 pounds of canned food, and contribute to the nearly two million total pounds raised since the Canned Food Drive started 34 years ago.
“The Canned Food Drive began in 1987 when each student was encouraged to bring a single can,” Lopez said. “This tradition has grown, and now our average is around 38 pounds per student.”
Students were encouraged to bring cans during the first three weeks of November, leading up to Thanksgiving Break, and were given an incentive to bring 60 pounds of canned food in exchange for free dress (being out of the school uniform) from the day they brought their cans until after the break.
The last day of the drive is known as CANstruction day. Before the cans are taken to the food bank, students use the cans to build a large sculpture in the front of the school.
This year’s donations filled two semi-trucks and are expected to provide 90,000 meals.
Kate Fletcher is the associate editor for the Chi Rhoan student newspaper at BMCHS.
