At the end of last month, Glacier Peak donated cans and money to Maltby Food bank after the annual food drive. The school ended up raising $18,600 to help people in need. “This was the year of quiet donators. I don’t know how we got as much as we got, and I think that speaks to this particular batch of kids. Thank you to those who maybe did it out of more of a humble place than a place of glory. A lot of people just did it and didn’t expect anything publicly. And I think a lot of kids are in that boat, which is great.” AP English Language teacher, Mr. Benson said.

Donating to the food drive is so important and can help every type of person in a place of need. “I’ve had family members lose loved ones and homes to accidents and fires, and I know that even the smallest donation can help so much. When you lose everything or have nothing to begin with, a little help from others can go a long way.” Junior Mi Bong said.

Mr. Benson has “won” the food drive for many years; this year included. He has personal experience with the food drive and encourages students daily to donate. “Growing up needing the food pantry made it stick with me. Being there with my mom, being there with my family, being around a lot of people that needed it and learning to sort of understand that that’s not a choice for some people, and that some people just need help sometimes to get through some hard seasons. It’s pretty darn important to me.” Mr. Benson said. “Honestly, I talked about it every day, not a ton, maybe three or four minutes a day. I sent an email out to the kids and the parents, I tried to make the letter pretty lighthearted and funny. Honestly, it’s just a reminder. Every now and then, I sneak in a personal anecdote, every now and then, I’ll get a little sad, every now and then I’ll make it a little funny.”

Mr. Benson and Mi Bong both have high hopes for next year. “It’s gotta be more systemic, I think. And it’s gotta come from more attack angles. So maybe some more student investment, or reminders. Or even like lunchtime announcements, I did a thing in high school where I stood at the end of the line at the equivalent of the grizzly den, and when kids had change, when they paid cash, I just shook a jar at them, and they put their change in that. And I remember getting hundreds and hundreds of dollars doing that to give to special Olympics.” Mr. Benson said.

“I’d say I’m proud at how much was raised, however I know we can do better since we did better in the past. If every student participated, even a little bit, we could do a lot better.” Mi Bong said.