Students Give Special Gift To Feeding SD

The holidays are a tough time of the year for organizations that feed the hungry. But this year, a Sioux Falls middle school put together a special gift.

Eighth graders wrapped up hundreds of pounds of donated food to be picked up by Feeding South Dakota.

"I'm very surprised by this turnout," Student Council President Brady Boerema said.

The annual Students Against Hunger drive has taken on a life of its own at Memorial Middle School.

Typically, students bring in enough food to fill about 35 boxes. This year, there are nearly 200.

"Just packing it has taken three days and it's a lot of food to go to a lot of people who might not have food," Caroline Moriarty said.

"It's awesome to see how many kids actually want to help people out," Boerema said.

Sioux Falls Food Pantry Manager John Geyer is making his third trip to drop off more boxes.

"The amount of food that the kids contributed in just a short time is really going to help us out in a huge way," Geyer said.

Advisor Erica Varcoe credits the outpouring of donations to the added competition between ten student groups and the feeder elementary schools. 

And while the group with the most donations wins a pizza party, these students say the project has given them a different perspective.

"I've always had food during the holidays and for other people who don't, I can't imagine that," Moriarty said. "So giving food for people to have is really cool."