Supporting Families In Our Community
November 17, 2021 2022-03-23 11:31Supporting Families In Our Community
Academy of Finance Organized a Harvest Food Drive
Through the Academy of Finance, Deerfield Beach High hosts a Harvest Food Drive for families in need. Frank Pizzo, the Academy of Finance club advisor, organizes the drive every year. For donations to get delivered before Thanksgiving, the last day that students can donate is on Thursday, November 18th.
The club has decorated over 60 boxes, located throughout the school, in teachers’ classrooms. Pizzo’s priority is to recruit more teachers to have a collection box in their classrooms.
The goal is for every student to donate two items to aid as many families as possible. To maximize the donations received, some teachers are giving students extra credit opportunities.
“Students can bring in an item for one extra credit point, and each student can earn up to ten points,” forensic science teacher Heleine David said.
Other teachers are encouraging their students to donate by offering different incentives for them to participate. Not only does this prompt students to give, but it makes it fun by having friendly competitions and class prizes.
“One of my teachers will host a movie day for the class that brings in the most items,” senior Sandrene Johnson said.
All contributions received will go to families selected by the Broward County school-site social workers in our local communities.
“I like to help families in my neighborhood,” Pizzo said. “I don’t like it when donations are sent to another state, I like to know that it’s helping families in our community.”
Giving back to the community is a focal point for many teachers behind promoting and joining the drive.
“It makes me happy to be at work knowing that we help our community,” science teacher Jessica Arce said. “I think it will give a lot of families a better holiday since many of them have gone through a lot in the past few years, and they just need time to process and enjoy their family.”
As the 18th annual Harvest Drive comes to an end, students and staff have donated more than 2,600 items. Pizzo tracks which teacher collects the most items, and this year, Augustine is the winner.
DBHS was able to exceed its goal and has now helped more than 2,000 families in need. For this holiday season, many households will get to spend time together and enjoy the donations they will receive.
