Scecina’s canned food drive: a long-standing tradition
The Scecina Student Council’s Canned Food Drive tradition continued in 2019 with a school goal of collecting 10,000 cans or nonperishable food items Once again, the response was overwhelming, and the students and staff collected 13,381.
Kylie Manley and Morgan McNulty collect cans in the Scecina rotunda.
“The canned food drive is important to the school because Scecina has participated in it for a long time, and it is a great way for the Scecina community to come together for a great cause,” said Bailey Sims, senior class president.
Reaching and passing the school goal means having early dismissal on the day before Thanksgiving.
But their biggest incentive is the chance to help others in the Indianapolis community. The food will be donated to the local St. Vincent de Paul.
“So, we’re doing our part to help, because St. Vincent de Paul serves 3,000 families a week,” Bailey said.
The freshman class won the 2019 class competition with 4,098 cans. The tally for the other classes: sophomores, 2,847; juniors, 3,309; seniors, 1,536; staff, 1,591.
The campaign kicked off on Halloween with a school pep rally and prizes for students’ costumes. The drive ended Nov. 22, when the students created an assembly line to move the thousands of cans onto the St. Vincent de Paul truck.
“We have participated in the canned food drive since I was a student here, and I think even my mom participated when she was a student,” said Social Studies Department Chair and Student Council moderator Nikki (Runner) Rosswurm, Class of 2005. “It’s a long-standing tradition here at Scecina.”
Over the years the cans have gone to different charities, she said. but for the past three to four years Scecina’s cans have been donated to St. Vincent de Paul.
“Each week St. Vincent de Paul helps over 3,000 families in our community,” said Ms. Rosswurm, “and StuCo likes to help them accomplish that.”
No student is required to participate in the drive, but each student has an individual goal of 30 cans or non-perishable items. Students who reached their goal of 30 cans could dress out one school day. The winning class received doughnuts and coffee on November 27 before school.
