Central Cambria Students Assist at Local Food Bank

On Tuesday, September 25th students from Central Cambria’s NHS (National Honor Society) attended the first Community Food Bank to be held at the Cambria County Fair Grounds. NHS was contacted by Amanda Maust an AmeriCorps worker associated with St. Vincent DePaul for their assistance with this project.

The food drive was planned to start at 10 am and was run by Josh Murphy the manager for the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank. While things did get off to a rocky start with a produce truck running a bit behind schedule, the organizers are hopeful that they may be able to make this event a monthly occurrence with everything running a bit more smoothly.

Regional Outreach manager, Sue Smith stated that they in no way want to this program to replace other food pantries. Instead, they would like to help supplement with fresh vegetables purchased through the charitable monetary donation given by Wal-Mart. This money is then used to purchase produce from our local farmers.

Individuals knew about this supplemental food bank by means of flyers posted at other food banks around the area, an article also ran in the local paper, and a spot on the nightly news aired details about the distribution.

Ms. Sue Smith stated that we were prepared for over 500 families to attend and had help from not only CC students but also St. Benedict, Flood City Church, and some homeschooled students. Sue stated, that “it was phenomenal to have the youth volunteering because it can turn into a life-long pursuit.” Sue also stated that it is important to get the youth involved with such important volunteering opportunities because, “we need to get them prepared to take over.”

Zach Mazzarella an NHS member that participated in the event stated, “ It was nice to see all the volunteers that gave up their time to help others in need.”

Central Cambria NHS students that participated in the event were: Punjari Vyas, Adam Trexler, Mikayla Wyrus, Taylor King Brothers, Sabrina Blake, Sam Stevens, Sarah Hansen, and Zach Mazzarella. The students all shared that they had had a positive experience. Many students mentioned how concerning it was to see so many people show up just from Cambria County. “It really makes one see just how much need is in our local area; I truly felt good after leaving the fairgrounds,” stated senior NHS member Sarah Hansen. Punjari Vyas another NHS stated commented, “Volunteering at the food bank was an eye opening experience. It was nice to speak to the people we helped, and see how truly thankful they were for the time and effort we put in to making the event a success.”

Adam Trexler, NHS student left a lasting impression when he stated, “I am very proud of NHS’s contributions to the food bank and [I] feel honored to be part of an organization that contributes so much to its community. Everyone worked hard provided assistance to each other, and adeptly performed their duties, all while maintaining a positive attitude. Seeing the smiling faces of the people we helped was truly satisfying; I sincerely hope that NHS will be able to participate in more charitable events.”