M-A’s annual Canned Food Drive kicks off today

The annual Menlo-Atherton High School Canned Food Drive kicks off today. In a tradition started by legendary Coach Ben Parks, M-A students collect food from the community to help feed several hundred families in our area, many of them M-A families.

For four weeks, students will fan out over the local area and collect cans. Supporting M-A in this effort are the following stores: Bianchini’s in Ladera; Draeger’s in Menlo Park; the Safeway stores on El Camino, Sequoia Station and in Sharon Heights; Trader Joe’s in Menlo Park; and Roberts Market in Portola Valley.

To show their appreciation for past participation — and to kick off this year’s drive — M-A students (left to right) Sophia Bercow, Lindsay Andrew, and Darya Rostami, presented a plaque to Trader Joe’s store Mate Stephanie Barry at TJ’s in downtown Menlo.

This year M-A is again partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB) to ensure that families continue to have access to food sources beyond the Canned Food Drive.

Here are ways that you can help:

• When you are shopping for your family, please add extra cans to your cart and drop them in-to the SHFB barrels. M-A students will be handing out the list of the most-needed items requested by SHFB.

• Consider donating online.Type“high school”in the online food drive box and select Menlo-Atherton High School so that your gift can be properly credited to the M-A outreach effort.

• Encourage students in your family to conduct food drives in your neighborhood! While the Canned Food Drive is entirely organized and coordinated by the M-A Leadership class, all M-A students are urged to show their Bear Pride by participating in this amazing effort that has garnered M-A two awards from SHFB.

Distribution to families will take place at Ecumenical Hunger Program in East Palo Alto on Saturday, December 6.

M-A is a regular recipient of Second Harvest’s coveted Blue Diamond Award, which totals food collections as well as monetary donations, and its Community Champion Award, going to non-corporate groups with the highest number of participants.

Photo by Linda Hubbard