More than 300 baskets filled with donated goods were donated to families in need.
The generosity of the Washington Township public schools and the community in general was on display on Wednesday, Nov. 22, as the district’s “Gobble Up Hunger” campaign came to a successful close with student and adult volunteers creating food baskets for needy local residents this Thanksgiving.
Canned goods, boxes of stuffing, assorted greens and huge turkeys were just some of the items placed in boxes and prepared for delivery, as members of the district middle school Future Acts clubs, in conjunction with the Washington Township High School Changing Our World Project, Washington Township Education Association, Washington Township Rotary, Washington Township Police, township Parks and Recreation, the Mayor’s Office and Mothers Cupboard, joined forces.
Several dozen-student volunteers from Chestnut Ridge, Bunker Hill and Orchard Valley middle schools were on hand to “shop” for basket items in the OVMS and CRMS cafeterias. Thanks to donations from community members, multiple collections at Bottino’s ShopRite, donation of produce from Duffield’s Farm Market, and a huge, district-wide canned-good-drive competition, the groups filled baskets to feed more than 300 families in need.
The students — along with several staff volunteers — were expected to finish filling boxes by around 2 p.m. Wednesday, at which time the adult volunteers would take the baskets to their intended families. Any food that didn’t make it in the baskets will go to Mother’s Cupboard, a food pantry located in Washington Township that benefits all of Gloucester County.
A donation drive of non-perishable items took place in all of the district’s schools and buildings, with the school/building accumulating the most donations earning the coveted and prestigious “Gobble Up Hunger Turkey.” That winner will be announced next week, and the winning building gets to keep the turkey until next year.
