High school food drives benefit communities across Grays Harbor

Ocean Shores, Montesano food bowls underway; Elma raises $17K for local food banks

By Ryan Sparks • December 6, 2020 8:30 am
North Beach High School student Katarina Butler, left, and Arrow Lumber representative Ryan Dixon pose for a photo during the school’s food bowl drive in December. The North Beach Food Bowl will run through Dec. 10. (Submitted photo)
North Beach High School student Katarina Butler, left, and Arrow Lumber representative Ryan Dixon pose for a photo during the school’s food bowl drive in December. The North Beach Food Bowl will run through Dec. 10. (Submitted photo)

Several Grays Harbor County school districts are in the midst of holding holiday food drives to benefit local food banks via charitable efforts.

North Beach food drive sets record

The North Beach School District has already set a record in overall donations for its holiday food drive with a little less than a week to go.

“Currently, we are over 10,000 dollars/pounds for the year,” said North Beach Middle/High School ASB Adviser Shawn Iliff, shattering the previous record of 4,500 dollars/pounds. Monetary donations are treated as a certain number of dollars that food banks can use to purchase food.

The bulk of the donations came from the Seabrook Foundation, which donated $10,000 to the food drive, with additional financial donations coming from local businesses.

While the vast majority of the fundraising drive has been in the form of cash donations, Iliff stated they have also been receiving canned goods and a variety of food items, including cookie boxes, brownie packages and salad dressing.

“There was even a can of Spam in one of the boxes donated to us,” Iliff said.

Donations will benefit the Ocean Shores Food Bank.

“It’s been a hard year for everybody and any opportunity this community has to support others in the community I really feel like they are going to take a hold of it and just run with it,” Iliff said of the community’s support of the food drive. “Anything that can bring a silver lining to a holiday is just an amazing thing and I think putting food on these people’s tables to sit down and have a dinner and a holiday where they couldn’t have it before is just an amazing thing.”

The food drive began the second week of November and will continue through Thursday, Dec. 10.

Donation drop-off locations are located at multiple points in Ocean Shores, including Back Porch Smoked Meats and Cheese, Arrow Lumber, Ocean Beach Roasters & Bistro, TwinStar Credit Union, Timberland Bank, and Seaside Liquidation Outlet.

Donations can also be made at the North Beach Middle/High School office from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information, visit the North Beach School District or North Beach Middle/High School Facebook pages.

2020 Montesano High School Food Bowl runs through Dec. 14

Montesano High School ASB kicked off its 2020 Food Bowl on Friday and will be accepting donations through Monday, Dec. 14.

The charitable event will benefit the Montesano Food Bank, and the ASB is inviting local businesses to participate in the event.

According to Montesano High School ASB Adviser April Pocklington, the fundraising event has already received a $500 donation from the Montesano Subway restaurant.

Financial donations can be submitted via check — made out to either Montesano High School or Food Bowl 2020 — and mailed to Montesano Junior-Senior High School at 303 North Church St., Montesano, WA 98563.

To donate online, visit https://montesano.revtrak.net/food-bowl.

Non-perishable food items can be donated at the Montesano Food Bank located at 213 West Spruce Avenue from 6:30-7 p.m. on Dec. 8 and Dec. 10.

For more information, call the Montesano School District at 360-249-3942 or visit monteschools.org.

Elma Food & Money Drive raises over $17,000 and 6,000 pounds of food

The Elma School District’s Food & Money Drive raised over $17,000 and 6,000 pounds of food benefiting the food banks of Elma, McCleary and Malone communities.

The fundraising event, which ran from Nov. 12-24, raised $17,791 and collected approximately 6,000 pounds of food.

“Because of the way things are with the pandemic, people had to go out of the way to donate and we just really appreciate everybody who donated food or money and helped the communities,” Elma ASB Adviser Emily Severs said.

Severs also noted the McCleary School District contributed $700 and approximately 250 pounds of food to the fundraiser.

Elma fifth-grader Abigail Henry holds up a sign promoting donating to the Elma Food & Money Drive that took place Nov. 12-24. The event raised over $17,000 and 6,000 pounds of food benefitting food banks in Elma, McCleary and Malone. (Submitted photo)

Elma fifth-grader Abigail Henry holds up a sign promoting donating to the Elma Food & Money Drive that took place Nov. 12-24. The event raised over $17,000 and 6,000 pounds of food benefitting food banks in Elma, McCleary and Malone. (Submitted photo)

Elma ASB Advisor and Food Bowl Director Emily Severs transports a box of food during Elma School District’s Food & Money Drive in November. (Submitted photo)

Elma ASB Advisor and Food Bowl Director Emily Severs transports a box of food during Elma School District’s Food & Money Drive in November. (Submitted photo)

North Beach High School Student Bodie Skinner, left, poses for a photo with Ace Hardware/Buck Electric’s Joe Buck during the North Beach High School Food Bowl in December. (Submitted photo)

North Beach High School Student Bodie Skinner, left, poses for a photo with Ace Hardware/Buck Electric’s Joe Buck during the North Beach High School Food Bowl in December. (Submitted photo)