By: Michelle Kingsley

During the holiday season, a majority of Warren County’s families spend time together over a delicious meal and dine together in celebration of Christmas and the New Year. Many people are oblivious to struggles of the individuals who cannot afford to buy food for the holiday season, but Eisenhower’s National Honor Society has taken our families in need into consideration. Over the course of the few weeks leading up to Christmas break, National Honor Society has been preparing, planning, and organizing for the annual holiday food drive. Hosted at Eisenhower Middle High School, the food drive serves to feed the families that do not have the money or resources for dinner over the holidays. 

Being a member of our National Honor Society, I have gained a first-hand experience learning about the processes involved in the food drive. My role in the food drive includes leading a group of members to various classrooms in order to count and collect the food items the students have collected. After food is collected, it is taken to the main office, inventoried, and evenly distributed among the number of families we are helping.

There are a couple of benefits for the students choosing to participate in the event. As a reward, they receive a holiday fun class period if the food items completely fill their classroom windows, and some even have the chance to earn extra credit points in a few teachers’ classes. These extra motivations contribute to helping our families in need, as well as benefitting the students willing to help.

While speaking with Ashley Hall, my fellow Honor Society member and Co-President of National Honor Society, we discussed the different methods of organizing and running the food drive. During the interview conducted, The Squire asked Ashely Hall about the overall organization of the Food Drive. She responded by saying, “We have specific groups; there are collectors, people who put up the paper in windows, as well as officers sorting and tallying to get ready to pack the food away.” When discussing who contributes to the drive, she told The Squire, “Not only students help, but faculty members, local families, and businesses all contribute to the process.” Once the busy season is over, National Honor Society members tend to feel a sense of relief that their hard work has paid off. While speaking with Ashley, The Squire asked her how she feels once everything with the food drive is over with, and she responded, “Its a feeling of joy and warmth; we gave to such a good cause, which is what Christmas is all about. Also [we feel] some relief because, hey! We did it!”

So, over the course of these couple days leading up to Christmas break, find the generosity to donate a few food items to Eisenhower’s National Honor Society, and you might be surprised at just how rewarding the experience is.