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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet Funds raised by Caribou National Honor Society members during their Stop Hunger Now coin drive will be implemented next month to send dehydrated, high-protein and nutritious foods to developing countries through the Stop Hunger Now Foundation. Assisting with the successful coin drive were, from left, NHS members Kayla Cormier, Emma Duplissie-Cyr and project coordinator Olivia Sleeper. |
CARIBOU — A coin drive sponsored by members of the Caribou National Honor Society yielded a $1,100 donation to the Stop Hunger Now Foundation.
Caribou’s 43 NHS members were each given a collection bank in the shape of a blue house donated by Aroostook Savings and Loan to help them collect change. The students were helped along their way by the bank’s President John Swanberg and wife Andrea who put the first quarter in each bank.
According to CHS NHS project coordinator Olivia Sleeper, Stop Hunger Now is an international hunger relief organization that coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid around the world. Sleeper said that Stop Hunger Now’s meal program provides volunteers the opportunity to package dehydrated high protein and highly nutritious meals that are used in crisis situations and in school feeding programs at schools and orphanages in developing countries around the world.
“We collected the change for Stop Hunger Now as a part of the NHS State Convention held March,” explained project coordinator Olivia Sleeper. “Each chapter was asked to collect change to support this organization, and when our groups come together we will pack the meals of dehydrated rice and soy.”
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet Students of the Caribou High School went above and beyond while participating in the National Honor Society Food Basket drive in December, collecting 40 baskets of food for less fortunate families in the area. Through the Bread of Life Soup Kitchen, families were paired with the CHS baskets that contained everything a family would need for a festive holiday meal — including the cleaning supplies for after-dinner cleanup. Helping make the food drive a success were, from left, NHS member Olivia Sleeper, NHS Vice President Mackenzie Belyea and President Devin Ballard. |
Sleeper also explained that 76 countries are served through Stop Hunger Now, and each meal costs approximately 25 cents to produce.
With the coin drive concluded in December, the Stop Hunger Now project was just one way that the students helped feed those in need, the second project benefiting community members.
Vice President of the Caribou NHS Mackenzie Belyea and NHS member Ginger Kieffer co-coordinated the Holiday Food Box project for the group, which collected 40 food baskets for the local Bread of Life Soup Kitchen
According to Belyea, each homeroom stocked a box filled with items for a holiday meal — including dinner, dessert and even the dish soap for scrubbing the pots and pans.
Aside from each homeroom ensuring that those in need didn’t go without during the holidays, the school went above and beyond baking gift boxes of cookies — more than enough for each of the food baskets.
