On November 13th, students in the senior class exceeded their food drive goal, collecting a whopping 3,121 pounds of non-perishable food for the Morris County Interfaith Pantry Network.

The Annual “Stuff the Bus” Food Drive kicked off in mid-October, with students rallying support from parents, faculty & staff, and even local businesses like Acrisure Insurance. Students out-did themselves considerably – collecting well over their initial goal of 2,000 lbs.

Each year, the students’ favorite part is loading up the school bus with all the donated non-perishable food items and delivering them, personally, to the Morris County Interfaith Pantry Network. While at the food pantry, students have had the chance to see how their donations are tallied, weighed and distributed. They also get to meet the amazing volunteers and staff members responsible for keeping the Interfaith Food Pantry Network up and running.

The annual food drive is one of several student-led initiatives through Service Learning, a course offered to upperclassmen. Service Learning provides students with an opportunity to give back to the community while developing leadership skills and a sense of social responsibility.

“This drive made me feel good about myself and our school that we were able to help all these people.” gushed Sarah, a 12th grader at Calais.

We are grateful to all those who made donations to the “Stuff the Bus” Food Drive this year. Other student-led service learning initiatives to come this school year include toy and book drives, visits to senior residences, and working with local animal shelters.