Everyone wants to make a change in the world whether it be on a global scale or within their own community. It’s human nature to want to help others in need. Being able to give with the intent of making a difference in someone else’s life with nothing in return is one of the most rewarding feelings. National Honor Society members gave Cannon Falls preschoolers, high schoolers, and everyone in between an opportunity to be the change in their community.

For the eleventh year in a row, Cannon Falls put on the NHS food drive. Preschoolers, elementary students, and middle schoolers were encouraged to donate food and personal items to win points for their grade. Every day after school, NHS members visited the elementary school to count the hundreds of items that the generous kids donated. At the end of the week, the food was brought to First English Church to be given to the projected 150 families that use the food shelf every month.

Working the event, the volunteers felt just as much reward as those donating their money and items. Molly Bowen, a new member to National Honor Society, stated, “It made me feel like I was contributing to the community in a small, but impactful way.” The importance of this service is astronomical considering the amount of people who truly don’t have the means to provide quality meals for their family. Paige Miest, another recent addition to NHS, commented on the volunteer work as well, “I have a lot of homework every night, so working the food drive took time away from that, but it was worth it. I at least knew my time was being spent actually helping people and doing good.”

Within the elementary school, there was a competition among every class in each grade to see who would collect the most points. Each food item counted for a score (tuna fish was 15, canned vegetables were 10, etc.) and were counted up daily for the final score at the end of the week. The competition was done at the middle school as well. The sixth grade winning class was Mrs. Otto’s reading class, seventh was Mr. Olson’s target class, and eighth was Mr. Lindow’s target class. Overall, preschool through eighth grade donated 2,600 pounds of food and the high schoolers donated $100 in cash when it was collected during high school lunches.

Without the generous contributions from the students and the time spent by National Honor Society members, the annual food shelf would not have been as beneficial as it was. The rewarding volunteer work not only helped students feel good about their service, but also gave the opportunity for people in need to get meals and personal items that aren’t as accessible anywhere else.