On Wednesday, December 12, Arlington FBLA in Arlington Nebraska completed its 12th Annual Canned Food Drive, raking in over 3,700 non-perishable food items for charity. The drive, which began November 12, pitted teacher-adviser groups against each other in a friendly competition to see who could collect the most non-perishable items. The top group won a pizza lunch. Susan Martens-Baker’s group came in first with over 500 items. Scott Parson’s group was a close second with over 490 items. Elementary students also contributed over 400 items to the grand total. FBLA members counted and sorted the items and then delivered them to the Washington County Food Pantry. Items taken included 215 boxes of macaroni and cheese and 205 cans of tomato sauce.
The food drive has long been a favorite project among members. “I like the canned food drive because it makes you aware of people’s needs,” says Beth Milan, FBLA Chapter Secretary. “You feel good about helping someone, even if you don’t know who they are.” Through this school-wide project, over 30,000 items have been donated to the pantry since it began in 1996.
