Hays High Student Council president Tyler Cullen (left to right), Academic Dean Teri Eubank, and Student Council secretary Victoria Volker check out the results of the “Can the Principal” food drive, which buried Hays High Principal David Pierce’s office under a huge pile of canned food. Hays High School Student Council was the first to jump into the food bank’s holiday season “Turkeys Tackling Hunger” campaign, cooperating with Lehman High School Student Council, to haul in canned food and cash donations. (Photo by Jim Cullen)
by JANE KIRKHAM
Special to the Hays Free Press
At Thanksgiving the Hays County Food Bank traditionally provides “turkey boxes” (a frozen turkey and all the ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving meal) to families unable to afford a Thanksgiving dinner. To help pay for this special project we have our Turkeys Tackling Hunger fund drive. A $20 donation provides a turkey box for a family. Last year the food bank provided 2,200 turkey boxes to Hays County residents, so that’s a big expense for the food bank. Hopefully we will get enough in donations from Turkeys Tackling Hunger to fund the turkey boxes AND to support ongoing operating expenses of the food bank.
Hays CISD is an important partner in our fund drive, and I believe every campus participates. The students come up with ideas of how their campus can raise funds. Faculty, staff and students are willing to wear the turkey suit to kick off their drive. Students have contests between classrooms, campuses and organizations to see who can raise the most money or food. They set goals for how many families they can provide with a turkey box. One traditional favorite way to raise money has been the sale of feathers to decorate turkey posters. All of the campus campaigns show imagination, creativity – and compassion.
For years, the Hays CISD community of adults and students has proven themselves to be generous and energetic, clearly very willing, even anxious, to help their neighbors.
The first time the Turkeys Tackling Hunger fundraising campaign was introduced to the Hays administration and faculty they embraced the concept and believed it was something worthwhile for the students as well as for the food bank. I can’t say enough about what a wonderful partner HCISD has been – and continues to be – with the food bank in this joint effort of seasonal compassion.
(Editor’s note: Contributor Jane Kirkham is a retired Hays CISD library tech who serves as a board member for the Hays County Food Bank. These days she’s perhaps best recognized on many HCISD campuses as the iconic, community-spirited “Turkey” who visits students festooned in her feathered costume, spreading word of the Turkeys Tackling Hunger campaign.)
