For more than a decade, the township middle school has done its part to help the needy at the start of the holiday season.
Since Nov. 1, students, faculty, families and others in the school community have been encouraged to bring canned food to the school for an effort in partnership with the Knights of Columbus.
“DMS has been participating in the canned food drive for years,” said student council co-Advisor Lorianna Mann. “Since I have been an advisor, we have always worked with the Knights of Columbus. They are a great organization to team up with. They are awesome.”
The Knights of Columbus is a global Catholic fraternal service order that began in 1882 and is involved in a number of different charitable drives. The middle school has partnered with the Delran council for a number of years for the drive, one that has been incredibly successful, according to Mann.
“Participation is always amazing in Delran Middle School,” she noted of donations. “The boxes are always completely filled, and oftentimes are spilling over. We always need at least 10 eighth graders to help us collect because we always have such a massive amount.”
Not only is the drive itself promoted within the school, but word has continued to spread throughout the township, resulting in another large number of donations. Last year, Delran Middle collected more than 800 canned goods; the goal is even higher this year as Mann hopes to surpass 1,000 items.
“DMS loves the food drive,” she enthused. “It is so cool to see the students come together for such a worthy cause. They understand how important the food drive is and love giving back to the community. They also enjoy the friendly competition among the classes to see who will collect the most.”
The final collection for the drive will took place on Friday, Dec. 9.
