Sonoma County High School Donates 13,000 Pounds Of Food To Local Food Bank

Rohnert Park, CA, December 12, 2011

Rancho Cotate High School students raised 13,000 pounds of food during a three week canned food drive for NOAH, Neighbors Organized Against Hunger, Rohnert Park's local food bank.

Over 35 teachers collected non-perishable foods in their homeroom classes, with over 1,000 students participating. The top-earning teachers were Mr. Torre with 2,188 pounds, Mr. Connich with 3,127 pounds, and Mrs. Mawhinney with 3,198 pounds. Combined, their students donated over 8,500 pounds of food. The rest of the school's students brought in over 4,500 pounds.

The annual canned food drive is presided over by Rancho Cotate High School's Associated Student Body Leadership class. Its 26 students spent several days tallying and computing each teacher's haul of food, storing the donations in the school's metal shop classroom until representatives of NOAH could pick it up.

According to Jessica Holman, RCHS ASB Adviser, "Rancho raises more food than any other Sonoma County high school's canned food drive. I don't know of any other school that cares about their community as much as Rancho does."

The students at Rancho Cotate High School not only donate the most food during their annual food drive, they are the leading Sonoma County high school in blood donations to Blood Centers of the Pacific (formerly Blood Bank of the Redwoods) with four blood drives yielding 500 pints of blood each year. Students have also donated money to breast cancer research, shoes to send to needy countries through Soles for Souls, and clothes and toys for the less fortunate.

For photos or more information, contact Jessica Holman at Jessica_Holman [at] crpusd.org.