The students of Kentwood High School are used to setting lofty goals and then taking the steps necessary to meet them. In the case of this year’s annual food drive, the trend continued.

Every year, Kentwood’s ASB (Associated Student Body) puts on a food drive to help local food banks bear the load of the cold winter season. Last year, Kentwood’s annual drive, dubbed Campbell’s Cup, was able to round up over 7,000 pounds of non-perishable food and was one of the most successful drives in the area. Yet, with the recent economic crisis affecting our country, Kentwood students couldn’t help but notice that there would be extra help needed this year to stock the shelves.

So, as ambitious ASB officers, we set the goal for our student body at a whopping 10,000 pounds of food. Sadly, only four days into this year’s drive, we were forced to meet and re-evaluate the goal, because in less than a week, the Kentwood students stepped up their game and had brought in nearly 7,000 pounds of food, matching last years total! It has now been four weeks since the drive started, and Kentwood has already gathered over 22,000 pounds of food for the holiday season.

The food drive was formatted after the NCAA basketball tournament. Third-period classes were pitted against each other each week, and at the end of the week, the class bringing in the most food advanced to the next round. Although “Munch Madness” has worked beyond our wildest beliefs, we must remember that none of this would have been possible without the compassionate students, teachers and community of Kentwood High School.

A once-ambitious 10,000-pound goal has now been boosted to a very obtainable 30,000-pound one, thanks to the incredible sense of competition and pure selflessness that thrives at Kentwood. As an ASB cabinet, we would like to recognize our student body for their hard work, commitment to service and tremendous success. With your generous donations in this time of need, you have shown the true colors of the holiday spirit – black, silver and green!