Bulldogs Unite to Combat Hunger Through Fall Food Drive

Dania Yamani and Kelly Yeh

ASB collected donations each morning outside of the gym with their decorated collection bin. “We’re always trying to teach our ASB leaders that they are a service to the school, but that can go beyond the school campus,” ASB Advisor Kate Avery said. “It’s a service to the community.”

ASB held the Thanksgiving Food Drive with Families Forward, a local non-profit that aims to help families in need, from November 10 to November 14.

The food drive involved an intradistrict competition where all five IUSD high schools competed to collect the greatest number of cans, and Portola High came in third place with 1393 donations. ASB collected non-perishable items, such as canned foods, before school every morning and during break. Bulldogs who donated at least two cans received complementary hot chocolate as an incentive, according to ASB Service Project Commissioner Ellie Kim.

“I’m donating beans and other canned food that I have,” senior Aliana Khan said. “I think words aren’t the only part of your personality that support your character and how good a person you are, so I’ve been trying to do more [good] things. If I catch myself being judgmental of other people, I think, ‘Well, am I also doing those sort of actions?’ So I try to do small, kind acts.”

With the recent government shutdown, budget cuts were made to programs for those at risk of food insecurity, such as SNAP and EBT, leaving hundreds of Americans without essential meals. A main goal of the Thanksgiving Food Drive was to support students and families affected by these changes, according to Kim.

“A lot of families are struggling more than usual this holiday season, so we’re hoping to help some of our local families and Portola High students during an especially tough time,” Kim said.

There was also an additional bin decorating competition between the IUSD schools, with students voting for their favorite via an Instagram poll.

“This is meant to be positive competition,” Kim said. “It’s meant to boost student participation for a good cause so that we can all donate more.”

At the end of the food drive, ASB dropped donations off at Families Forward and helped organize them. Through the Thanksgiving Food Drive, ASB intends to remind the campus that the holidays are about giving and coming together as a community to help others who might not be as fortunate, according to Kim.

“The food drive has been happening as long as I’ve been at Portola High, and I’ve been here nine years,” Avery said. “I think it’s one of the things that we just feel very strongly that we want our school leaders, our ASB leaders, as well as the school campus, to give back to their community.”

In the future, ASB hopes to use the results of this year’s competition to motivate the community to participate more strongly in the coming years and reach out to middle schools, parents and athletic teams to help promote the drive.

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About the Contributors

Dania Yamani, Sports Editor

Dania Yamani is the Sports Editor for her second and final year on the Portola Pilot. Passionate about sharing meaningful stories, she enjoys highlighting the people and moments that bring the community together. Beyond the newsroom, Dania loves playing with her cat Leia, going on long drives, and listening to Gracie Abrams. She looks forward to her final year on the Pilot and making a lasting impact on the sports section!

Kelly Yeh, Arts and Entertainment Editor

Kelly Yeh is the Arts and Entertainment Editor for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. Outside the newsroom, Kelly can be found perfecting her daily matcha latte, cafe hopping, splurging on concerts, binging TV shows or harassing her dog, Teddy. She is excited to make the most of her senior year and cherish every last moment with Pilot.