Students At Caney Valley Public Schools Host Food Drive, Exceeding Expectations

Students in Ramona made sure members of their community were fed for the holiday season and through the rest of the year. They hosted their annual food drive for the 2023-24 school year, and it was the most successful one yet.

Hundreds of cans and boxes filled Meg Wilson's classroom as students collected food for members of their community.

"The best thing about this is it's not a one-time thing, this isn't something unusual, this is a tradition every single year," she said. 

The idea for the food drive came in 2012 when a school janitor noticed Wilson was having a hard year.

"She brought my family a basket and that's what inspired this whole thing," she said. 

With the help of her students, Wilson is making sure that kindness is passed on to others. One of her students brought so many cans his classmates gave him a new nickname.

"I guess I'm the can man this year," Caney Valley High School Junior, Landon Aldridge, said. 

Landon Aldridge knows what it's like to go through a difficult time, so he brought a majority of the cans for his fourth hour class.

"Sometimes, when I was younger, we were just in a bad spot, and we couldn't really afford much,' he said. 

One student came up with a new twist to get her classmates excited for the drive. Whoever brought the most donations got to pie a teacher in the face.

"To help incentivize the students to participate and donate," Caney Valley High School Senior Emberlyn Bentson said. 

Wilson loved watching the stockpile grow each day, so much so that they will be able to help families in need into next year, "I do think we will have enough for spring break, and maybe even a small summer basket, which is amazing," she said. 

Wilson said what inspires her is seeing her students learn they can make a difference in the lives of others, one can at a time, "it makes me feel like I'm doing something good in this world and that I chose the right profession," said Wilson.