Students on the Bolles Lower School Ponte Vedra Beach Campus collected more than 10,000 cans and nonperishable items for the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation last month.
A large covered U-Haul truck parked in front of the school was filled to the rim with food, a visual reminder of the hard work students applied toward the charitable undertaking.
The 2015 drive was one of the largest in school history. Students were eager to support the initiative, which also included a fitness participation component.
“Throughout the year, and especially as the holidays approach, Bolles students learn how they can help meet needs in our community,” said Bolles Lower School Ponte Vedra Beach Campus Head Peggy Campbell-Rush.
“This was a success by all accounts, and linking philanthropy and fitness made the undertaking a fun competition.”
More than half of the food collected came from ConAgra Foods, which offered to match students’ collection thanks to the direction of Bolles PVB dad and ConAgra sales manager, Chris Barksdale and wife, Cari.
Bolles parents Stacy and Jim Philip led the food drive challenge.
Coach Melissa Stone directed the fitness portion of the food collection, which required participating students to earn the amount of food they could donate through a running and physical activity challenge.
During early November P.E. classes, students in all grades ran laps for their can donations. Running 13 laps, or a mile, afforded each student the opportunity to donate five cans.
Stone said most students ran more than two miles as part of the challenge.
The Bolles School is a co-educational college preparatory day and boarding school serving students on four campuses in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve.
Visit www.bolles.org for more information.
