FCCLA adviser Jill Trumpbour discusses the current meal bags the club is creating for students in need.

Q: Where is the food drive being held?

A: “We’re doing a food drive here at the high school and are asking students and staff to donate.”

Q: Who is organizing the food drive?
A: “We have members of FCCLA who have taken a leadership role on this, and then I’m the adviser and so is Misty Finnegan.”

Q: Who will benefit from the donations?
A: “We are collecting food for the food pantry that Ms. Cala runs. They need to tie them over for the weekend. So we came up with an idea with Ms. Coffee to not just give them food, but to give them a meal that they can make. Hopefully, we’re going to get parts of a meal and we’ll have a little recipe that they can put together so we’ll benefit our own students.”

Q: How did the idea come about?
A: “Ms. Coffee Actually, one day she was talking with Mrs. Finnegan and myself, and she had said she had seen something maybe on Facebook, about having “dollar store dinners.” There’s all kinds of TikTokers and people who actually do this now, they come up with ideas for menus instead of just donating random things. You hand people food. This gives them an idea of what they can do with the food, so Ms. Coffee is the originator of this for us.”

Q: How will the donated food be distributed?
A: “Ms. Coffee will take care of that.”

Q: Are there certain foods that need to be donated?

A:”Canned goods, canned vegetables, pasta sauce, canned Alfredo sauce, canned meats, tuna, canned chicken, rice packets, taco seasonings. Pretty much anything, but those are some of the main things that we have recipes already for.  Whatever we collect, we’ll just find recipes that will fit. A student will grab a bag with everything they need for a meal for themselves and at least one other person, maybe even for four, so for their whole family.”

Q: Who will be giving out the food?
A: “It was Ms. Coffee’s idea.”

Q: Why is FCCLA doing the food drive?
A: “We just thought it was a great idea to help support our students in our community. We are Family Career Community Leaders of America, so we are based on family consumer sciences, and that really goes along with supporting families, supporting communities and so forth.”

Q: Are there community events tied to the food drive?
A: “Not at this time. This is our first year, so we’re taking it slow.”

Q: Did you want to mention anything that I didn’t?

A: “Donations are going to be collected outside of room A201 and A202, up until Feb. 6.”