Middle-Schoolers to Fight Hunger on Global Youth Service Day

Milbank Middle School students will collect food items to combat hunger during a Feed the Need Food Drive for the Grant County Food Pantry. The drive takes place the third week in April, and is in conjunction with Global Youth Service Day.

Korbin Leddy, a member of the Milbank Middle School student council and junior 4-H leader, secured a grant through Sodexo Stop Hunger to assist with the food drive. The sixth, seventh, and eighth grade home rooms are challenged to collect the most non-perishable food items. The winning class receives a pizza party. Three cash prizes for school supplies will be awarded to the winning homeroom teachers from each grade. In the event of a tie, the homeroom which amassed the most items by weight will be the winner. The community also is invited to drop off non-perishable food items at collection boxes at three banks in Milbank – First Bank and Trust, Great Western, and Wells Fargo.

The food drive continues until the end of April. Items most needed include: spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, instant mashed potatoes, canned fruit and vegetables, creamy peanut butter, pudding mixes, cereal, pancake mix, syrup, ketchup, and products such as laundry soap, shampoo, conditioner, and dish soap. All items will be donated to the Grant County Food Pantry.

Global Youth Service Day recognizes the positive impact that young people have on their communities 365 days a year. GYSD is celebrated in more than 100 countries with youth-led service projects and community events. “We know that young people are uniquely suited to help solve problems – if given the opportunity,” said Steven A. Culbertson, CEO and president of YSA (Youth Service America), the leader of GYSD. “Today’s social and environmental problems are immense; we need youth in Grant County to be leaders and problem solvers today, not just the leaders of a distant tomorrow.”