It Takes a Busload of Food...

A rousing response to the "Stuff the Bus" food drive sponsored bys student government resulted in a busload of food to support area families.

Shelves at the Community Food Council's food pantry at Manor Field and at St. Hugh of Lincoln's food pantry are well-stocked after students unloaded box after box of donated goods on Saturday.

Students, teachers, and middle and elementary schools all came together to donate food in support of the drive, said teacher Fred Bisogno, who serves as student government faculty adviser, along with teacher Anthony Troffa.

"We gathered about 10 times as much as last year," Bisogno said. "A lot of our collegeaues kicked in, and the students formed committees that worked with elementary schools and the middle school. The kids went out into the community."

Different grade levels held food drives at area grocery stores, and some teachers also offered extra-credit points for bags of food brought into their classes.

Junior Joe Straub, who coordinated students' efforts, thanked Huntington Coach for donating the use of the bus and driver to get the food from the high school to the food pantries.

As students started to load the bus Saturday morning, one wag asked if anyone had calculated whether the volume of food piled up, ready to be loaded into the bus, would fit. Nobody answered, they just started carrying boxes, and managed to get it all in.

Senior Aly Kiley, student government president, did note, though, "This year we collected enough to fill a regular bus, not a mini-bus."