This year’s Helping Hands Hoagie Sale sold 5,000 hoagies, raised $50,000 for local families in need
Volunteers, young and old alike, poured into Orchard Valley Middle School and Washington Township High School by the hundreds and fanned out over the community with hoagies in hand as part of the district’s 22nd Annual Helping Hands Hoagie Sale on Sunday, Feb. 5. With the sale of 5,000 hoagies, the committee will now have $50,000 to distribute to local families who are facing medical setbacks.
The hoagie sale is sponsored by the Changing Our World Project, WTHS Students in Action and the district’s three middle school Future Acts clubs. The monumental success of this year’s sale brings the hoagie sale total to $598,000 in all-time funds raised. In addition to individual hoagie orders, volunteers also prepared hundreds of hoagies for area homeless organizations thanks to donations that were funded by the Washington Township Education Association and Pay It Forward Hoagies for Humanity grants.
“I was amazed at the success of this year’s sale,” said Maddy La Voe, an OVMS teacher and one of the sale’s lead organizers. “Even though our pre-orders were lower than ever, the community came out the day of the sale and really made up for it. We are so thankful for the generosity of the Washington Township community.”
The far-reaching community service project has earned the district national recognition as a Jefferson Award recipient for exemplary community service.
“What a proud day for our kids, our staff, and our community,” Superintendent of Schools Joe Bollendorf said. “To see so many people pull together, in the name of helping those from our community in need, is truly a very special thing. There are so many people who work so hard for months leading up to this incredible day; then, to see it come together the way it does each and every year is just simply amazing. We are truly fortunate to live in a community that understands the importance of supporting one another. We are helping to teach our children this important lesson as well, in the hopes they will carry this devotion to service wherever their own lives take them.”
