CALUMET CITY | The spirit of giving is alive and thriving at the Thornton Fractional High Schools.
Collectively, students, staff, and administrators at TF North, TF South, and TF Center have amassed more than $700 and 3,654 pounds of food this November for various local charities.
Students in the district’s Virtual Success Academy program spearheaded a food drive at TF Center in which they collected 1,554 pounds of canned goods and nonperishable food items. The items were donated to the Calumet City Resources food pantry.
A districtwide food drive effort benefiting Living Grace Church in Lynwood yielded $700 to purchase holiday turkeys for food baskets for needy families and 2,100 pounds of food, 2,000 of which was collected by students and staff at TF South. Seniors from the TF South drama department, accompanied by Principal Judy Whalen delivered the food.
Whalen noted that as the group was leaving the church, a young man in his mid-teens approached the food pantry looking for assistance. That encounter, explained Whalen, really touched the students’ hearts and personalized the entire experience for them.
“Our students were able to see firsthand how their generosity benefited those in need, in particular someone who was close to their own age," Whalen said.
District Superintendent Creg E. Williams was pleased with the district’s food drive efforts.
“We teach our students that giving is a quintessential part of life," Williams said. "We know that this experience (collecting food for the needy) will help make them become more empathetic human beings.”
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