While there are so many notable milestones that mark the beginning of the school year, none are quite as important to us at River Bend Food Bank as the kickoff of Student Hunger Drive. For 38 years, hundreds of local kids have come together to make a difference in their communities, collecting enough food and funds to provide more than 19 million meals and counting.
“It’s just an amazing feeling,” says Ankit Rajvanshi, student at Moline High School. “This is my third year doing it, and every year it gets better and better volunteering for all the events. It’s just it gives you a warm feeling in your heart and just the opportunity to get back to your community is amazing.”
And Ankit is not alone. Every year, the kids who participate in the effort share their stories with us, reminding all of us that this little friendly competition between schools is about so much more than winning.
“Looking at our numbers in the school district … [food insecurity] is a huge issue. So instead of looking at this as a competition against schools, we look at this as feeding our classmates. We think of it as feeding families in our community that need help,” shares Dillan Tholin, a 2023 graduate of Bettendorf High School.
Dillan is acknowledging the very real issue of food insecurity faced by 1 in 6 kids in our local communities, an issue that requires a collective effort to be solved. About the power of this collective effort, Rowan Appel from Bettendorf High School shares the following:
“Among many meaningful experiences during the drive, the one that sticks out most occurred during a soliciting shift at Hy-Vee. As we asked for donations, a lady spoke to us about the importance of our work. She explained how she witnessed people lose their jobs and struggle to afford groceries and how our work helps fill the food banks and prevents those people from going hungry. She shared her appreciation for the younger generation’s participation in the Hunger Drive, and she felt uplifted when she saw us working in public so frequently. This interaction was one of the many eye-opening experiences we get to witness when heavily involved in such an impactful cause. I wish all people understood the value of every donation, regardless of size, and the value of encouraging words. I will forever be grateful to that lady as she further solidified the importance of helping those around you, including strangers.”
And we couldn’t agree more. There is value in every donation, in every dollar, in every contribution of time, energy, and effort. As we kick off the 39th annual Student Hunger Drive on Sept. 29, we are thinking about all the ways we can help amplify the effort these kids put into ending hunger. We are thinking about Ankit and Dillan and Rowan. We are thinking about their peers and all the people they will impact because of their hard work. And we are thinking about new ways to invite YOU to be a part of this work.
If you’d like to help, visit riverbendfoodbank.org/shd to offer your time, talent, or treasure to be a part of this collective effort to feed people today and end hunger tomorrow.
