Students at Clearview Elementary collected 801 pounds of food for the Clearwater/Clear Lake Area Food Shelf during the first week of March, a record amount for the school. 

 

March is food shelf month in Minnesota, with the statewide FoodShare campaign urging people to donate food and money to help restock shelves that have become bare after holiday season giving. During the March campaign, contributions are matched dollar for dollar or pound of food donated.

 

Straining under the weight of over 1,000 boxes, bottles and cans of non-perishable food, tables were set up in the hallway next to Clearview’s lunchroom to help keep students motivated.

 

Students brought their donated items to their teachers, and every morning members of the student council went to each classroom to collect them. The class that brought in the most items won a pizza party, the class with the second largest amount won a rootbeer float party, and the class with the third largest won a popcorn party.

 

Third grader Jonathan Hegge’s family brought in over 300 items after going through their cupboards and watching for sales.

 

“We were donating food for one week,” said fifth grade student council member Jacob Larson. “We went around the school with a cart every morning and collected what every class brought in.”

 

“We do it every year,” said Violet Anderson, who is also a fifth-grade student council member. “It’s kind-of a tradition. We do it to help get food to the homeless and people who don’t have any.”

 

Susie Brown, one of the Clearwater/Clear Lake Food Shelf’s co-chairs, dropped off a big bag of hats and headbands for needy students when she came by to pick up their donation. The items were knitted by a gentleman in Sartell. 

 

Clearview’s student council sponsored the annual food drive, holding it in March because it’s also food-matching month.

 

One in 10 Minnesotans doesn’t have enough food to eat on a regular basis. The Minnesota FoodShare Campaign is the only statewide effort where every dollar goes directly to food shelves to purchase food for the hungry. In 2018, over $8.1 million dollars and 5.5 million pounds of food were raised by Minnesota food shelves and Minnesota FoodShare. 

 

The Clearwater/Clear Lake food shelf is located in the Lions Community Building at 1100 Co. Road 75, Clearwater. Their hours are Mondays 5:30 to 7 p.m., Tuesdays 9 to 11 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., and Wednesdays 3 to 5 p.m.