The National Junior Honor Society at Marshall Middle Magnet School is on a mission to give others a bright smile for the holiday season.
This group of students decided to collect food products and donate them to the United Food Bank and Services of Plant City.
Each semester they decide on two group projects they would like to take on.
The first project is to provide the United Food Bank with a sufficient amount of supplies, so it will have enough to distribute for this holiday.
When the students chose to volunteer, the food bank explained what they could use.
The task began earlier in November when Honor Society members began to promote the goal and ask for canned food donations from their fellow classmates.
A fun incentive for the students was to start a contest to see which homeroom could collect the most cans. Also, there was a contest to see which class could create the most decorated box to collect cans.
A band class came in first place, collecting over 200 cans. And school staff made contributions as well.
“We’ve been running it for about three weeks,” said Christin Dimapasoc, mother of an Honor Society student. “We’ve got a huge pile of cans at school.”
What’s more, Publix Super Markets granted the school group a $250 gift card to purchase food at its local grocery store.
Divided into four groups, 18 Honor Society members grabbed carts and starting shopping, on Friday.
Each group was given a budget of $62.
From aisle to aisle, students compared prices to find the best bargains on various foods.
It’s teaching the kids how to take math and other skills learned in class, and apply them out of class at a young age, said Dimapasoc.
Emily Denton is an Honor Society student who understands the concept of budgeting.
“I grew up in a big family and we would have to buy large quantities of things,” said the seventh-grader. “We had to work to get smaller amounts for more, and I kind of know the cheaper things to get.”
She went on to state that, “I wanted to help people. Even if it’s the smallest thing, like giving them at least some food, or doing something to give back to the community.”
Jeffrey Dimapasoc, of the club, said that he too has learned the importance of maintaining finances when shopping.
This charity had him considering other youth who may be struggling.
“A lot of kids are alone without their parents, and they want something to eat,” explained the eighth-grade student. “They have to make something by themselves.”
Established in 1929, the Honor Society uses this kind of charity work to help students hone in on five pillars: scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship.
Scholarship is not only learning in a school setting, but learning about one’s own skills and using them to help others.
Service is seeking opportunities to assist others on a daily basis.
Leadership is having integrity and being accountable for one’s own actions.
Character is valuing different cultures while having attributes such as respect, honesty, and sacrifice.
And citizenship is identifying one’s own role in society and finding ways to address a community’s concerns and strengths.
Not only does it engage its students with projects, but helps prepare them for the collegiate level, and with financial assistance. At the end of their shopping spree, the Marshall Middle students successfully stayed within their means and walked out with four carts filled with food. Some items included peanut butter, jelly, pasta, cereal, and macaroni and cheese.
Afterwards, they loaded the groceries plus the additional food from the school, into a truck that was sent to the local United Food Bank.
Other project ideas they’ve suggested in the future are working with animal shelters and doing a road cleanup. In December, they will create holiday cards and send them to a local hospital.
It shows that kids too, are taking the initiative to better their environment in Plant City.