The 17,000-student school system has partnered with Reach Out Lakota for nearly two decades each autumn, and they have notched a new record for donations.
“This tradition has always been a source of tremendous pride for the Lakota community, but this year’s response took it to a whole new level,” said Lakota Board of Education President Julie Shaffer. “We are astounded by just how much our students, staff and families stepped up this year. We are beyond proud and humbled by these remarkable results.”
Under this year’s campaign theme of “Together WE Can,” Lakota students, staff and families collected almost 60,000 items for Reach Out Lakota.
Last year’s total of 27,500 items almost exactly matched the former record-breaking total set in 2022.
But this fall’s results saw a 117% increase over last year, far surpassed the challenge to increase by 31% in order to match the increase the local pantry is seeing in overall visits this year, said district officials.
“This year’s Stuff the Bus collection surpassed our greatest expectations,” said Reach Out Lakota CEO/Director Brenda Yablonsky.
“It is by far the largest food collection we receive all year long – and it will all go to families right here in Lakota who are struggling with food insecurity. The generosity of all those who work in the schools and attend Lakota schools blows me away.
“The time, effort, and physical labor to transport all the food items to Reach Out Lakota is a major undertaking that we do not take for granted.”
According to a Lakota statement, student leadership groups were at the helm of most schools’ collections and campaigns and noted students are historically the driving force behind the campaign’s overall success.
At Liberty Twp.’s VanGorden Elementary School, a small group of the school’s sixth grade math accelerated students led the charge. The group built and executed a campaign that generated over 9,000 donations for their school earning the building the honor of posting the highest average donation per student compared to all other Lakota schools.
Lakota Superintendent Ashley Whitely praised the effort, saying “every day, I am reminded of what this district is capable of when we all work together.”
“The friendly competition (between schools) driving this tradition was also fun to witness, especially when the root cause behind it was a shared desire to give back and help others. It’s one of the best lessons we can teach our students,” said Whitely.
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