By Maggie Reynolds, Kuna FFA Reporter
Boxes overflowing with food filled the Kuna Ag shop Friday, Dec 16th, as the Kuna FFA chapter collected, sorted, and delivered food, books, and warm clothing to 71 families in the area. The overwhelming success of this annual event was due to the tremendous effort of the entire Kuna community.
Each family received four to five boxes full of a variety of canned and boxed food, which included ten pound boxes of Bisquick and rice. Every family was also given a bag of potatoes, a bag of pinto beans, a ten pound turkey, scarves or hats, and books.
Assistance from the community was vital to the success of the canned food drive. Through the donations of money and time from many, this event had more success than in years past. Many pick-up loads filled with thousands of canned food items were collected from all of the schools in the Kuna district, as well as the library. Many different prizes and awards were given out for different contests throughout the district, including Hubbard’s and Teed’s “Stuff the Bus” challenge, and pizza parties from the FFA chapter for classes who collected the most food.
Using points donated by the community, turkeys were purchased from Paul’s Market and given to each family. Scarves were made and donated by the Kuna High School’s Green team, and stocking hats were knitted and donated by Kuna Middle School students. Age-appropriate books were collected for each child in each family and donated by Kuna school students, through the Operation Wish Book program. Over 900 books were given away. Through the Santa Project at Kuna High School, $920 was collected to be spent at Costco, purchasing staple food items such as Bisquick, rice, oatmeal, applesauce, and more for each family.
Caring for 71 families is no small feat, and the Kuna FFA chapter would like to make sure the following people are recognized for their contributions: Kuna students who donated food and helped with Operation Wish Book, Paul’s Market and customers who donated points, the Green team for making scarves, Kuna Middle School students who knitted hats, Honor Society, CAST, FHLA, FCCLA, the library, the Kuna Food Bank, KEA for organizing Operation Wish Book, our delivery drivers, and everyone else who donated time, money, or resources. The community’s donations gave many a brighter holiday season and were appreciated by all.