National Honor Society Stocks Shelves at Saline's Food Pantry

Students from Saline High School’s National Honor Society completed one of the community’s largest food drives Saturday.

Previously, students canvassed the community, distributing bags for residents to fill with non-perishable food items and dry goods. On Saturday morning, the students trekked back out to collect bags full of donated goods.

According to Jamail Aikens, Director of Saline Area Social Service, the National Honor Society collected 6,771 pounds of food and dry goods. That’s worth about $11,510.

“It’s exciting to me to see these students come out, year after year. The long-term commitment this group has made to us is very significant. It’s very important to our operation,” Aikens said.

The food and goods collected will help the community agency serve more than 350 individuals from more than 100 local homes for far more than a month.

Anna Loughman and Ellie Beekman were two of the National Honor Society volunteers at the event.

Loughman said it is one of the group’s biggest events.

“We cover most of the neighborhoods in Saline and we all bring (the canned goods) here and we stock the shelves for Saline Area Social Service,” Loughman said.

The volunteers started around 8:30 a.m. and expected to be out until 2 or 3 p.m. Plus the spent hours planning the event. Beekman said it’s time well spent.

“This is a really big event for (Saline Area Social Service). It’s about a fourth of the food they distribute throughout the year that we collect today. They help about 300 people every week. It’s really important we get involved with our community because that’s what National Honor Society is about,” Beekman said.

Aikens said the annual food drive has become the event that other food drives are patterned after. For years, this food drive helped the agency provide food to low-income residents until spring. But now the US Postal Office employees conduct a similar drive in the spring. In summer, volunteers from Keystone Church conduct another important drive.

Meijer and Busch’s conduct the agency’s other two major drives.

There are other ways to support the community through Saline Area Social Service:

• Sponsor a trip to the food pantry. Click here.
• Sponsor a Christmas meal basket for $50 to $80. Click here.
• Shop at Meijer Dec. 8-9 and purchase a “Simply Give” donation card. Meijer will “double match” your donation, turning your $10 donation into a $30 donation, or your $100 donation into a $300 donation.
• Donate to the Saline Area Fire Department’s Toys for Tots campaign. Drop off new, unwrapped toys at the Saline Fire House (at the corner of Harris Street and Michigan Avenue).