Competition between classes amped up the donation drive at Potomac Falls this holiday season

This past holiday season, students and faculty at Potomac Falls participated in a donation drive, collecting upwards of 4,000 donations for the Panther Pantry including 16 boxes of food for the Loudoun Hunger Relief.

Potomac Falls’ involvement with Loudon Hunger Relief began when English teacher Jason Walker taught a lesson based on poverty in the United States to his AP Language students. This lesson happened to be delivered during the holiday season, inspiring Walker to take action. He and a group of other teachers worked to contact Loudon Hunger Relief, provide donation boxes to the classrooms, and create a competition among the students. From there, the English teachers took part in the Feature Friday supermarket sweep to promote the Donation Drive.

“There are people in our school, in our community, and in our county, that need help,” said Walker. “They need the basics. I think awareness and moving awareness into action is where we want to be with this.”

Loudon Hunger Relief, an association based upon donating food and other essential items to those in need, opened its doors in 1991. Ever since then, they have been working to collect over 1.2 million pounds of food each year.

They have also been partnering with a variety of different organizations to reach their goal. They have worked with the Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers to deliver food each month.

When it comes to what they need most, Loudon Hunger Relief focuses on items such as dry beans, grains, fruits, vegetables, canned meats, cereal, soups, cooking oil, macaroni and cheese, and peanut butter. Cash donations are also greatly appreciated as it allows for Loudon Hunger Relief to purchase what they need for donations. Associate Director of Loudoun Hunger Relief Erika Huddleston believes in the organization’s vision.

“Loudoun Hunger Relief envisions a community where all have access to nutritious food,” said Huddleston.  “We appreciate all the community does to support our efforts to stop food insecurity and increase nutrition education in our county.”

Similarly, Potomac Falls’ Panther Pantry has been operating for five years with the help of the LEO Club and the parent liaisons. They collect donations to fill the Pantry and then donate them to students in need, much like Loudon Hunger Relief.

“[The best part about volunteering] is helping those who need help and people in general,” said Panther Pantry volunteer and sophomore Nathan Alves.

The goal of the Donation Drive wasn’t just to collect food, though. Walker wants to raise awareness to those who need help, whether it be through cash or food donations. Even though Potomac Falls is in the wealthiest county in the United States, there are many people who don’t have the essentials in life. More than anything, Walker wants to provide for the people who need help and raise awareness for the cause.

“Every little bit, every donation can make a difference in someone’s life,” said Walker.

With the conclusion of the Donation Drive on the Dec. 13, seniors took the prize with over 1,200 items donated by the senior class in total.