Students at Woodford County High School possess a great desire to positively impact the world around them. Their eagerness to contribute to the Woodford County community is especially evident through the various projects and efforts of the Community Activism class. Caroline Miller, a senior, explains why she wanted to enroll in the class, “I joined because of the impact [Community Activism] has had on Versailles with Spark, both the festival and the café. I was attracted to it because I will be moving away and going to college soon, but I want to have that lasting impact.”
The current focus of Community Activism students is the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. For the first time in its history, the food drive is now a project implemented by students, specifically Laura Crutchfield, Jaid Goh, Kayla Harlow, Caroline Miller, and Emma Wesley. The food drive team is excited to expand on the enthusiasm that students already have for this project. Laura says, “People want to help because it’s such a good cause.” With the food drive being a student-led initiative this year, the team hopes to see noticeable growth in student, staff, and community participation. Caroline remarks, “We want it to be bigger. We thought if we ran it, it would have a bigger influence on our peers."
The students are passionate about this project because it fulfills a true need for the community. “The can of food that each student brings will be eaten by someone in our county,” says Caroline. Students resonate with the impact this has on families in their community, their neighborhoods, their classrooms. It matters to Woodford County students that Woodford County families receive the help they need.
Jessica Basanta, teacher at WCHS who has helped coordinate the food drive for the past several years, says, “Our theme for the school year is, ‘All for One,’ and the food drive theme is, ‘Be the Good.’ We want everyone to come together and support each other. This is a great way for students to show their ‘All for One’ spirit. There is a great need in our county, and it’s wonderful to watch students fill that need.”
The goal for this year’s food drive is a combination of 15,000 cans and dollars. The food items and dollars collected by our Yellowjackets are essential in supporting the efforts of the local Food Pantry. According to Sharon Hardin, director of the Food Pantry for Woodford County, the items they receive as a result of the high school's Thanksgiving Food Drive comprise the largest donation of the year.
If you would like to take part in this tremendous effort by WCHS students, please bring any cans, non-perishable food items, or monetary donations to the front office of the high school.
Additionally, thank you to the teachers and staff who have been supporting our students throughout the entire planning and implementation process of the food drive. Their guidance is critical and has been much appreciated by students.
