Concord High School is finishing its annual Canned Food Drive to help families in need.
Collections are continuing through tomorrow, Dec. 15, and organizers are hoping for a rush of donations.
At present CHS is running approximately $5,000 behind the amount it raised last year.
There are two different ways that CHS students and faculty members contribute. The first way was a Soups On event which kicked off the two-week drive on each Parent Teacher Night, Nov. 17 and 21 from 3:30-8 p.m.
The food drive benefits the Capital Region Food Program (CRFP), which is a private, volunteer organization that helps reduce hunger in the Greater Concord Area through distribution of food to individuals, families and local agencies. CRFP relies on the generosity of contributors to operate their programs all year round.
CRFP collects, purchases and distributes more than 100 tons of food annually at no cost to the agencies and food insecure recipients in the local community. The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity by households that do not have access to healthy food for an active, healthy lifestyle.
Organizing this year’s CHS canned food drive are teachers Kristina Peare, Jim Foley, Gabe Cohen, Alexandra (Brin) Cowette and Anthony Varga.
Peare said the amount of aid collected usually fills 200 baskets. Last year CHS filled close to 275 baskets.
“I am always proud of our level of participation, and of the donation we bring to the CRFP,” Peare said.
Student meetings to plan the canned food drive took place every Tuesday morning from 7:20–7:40  in Room E325.  Students now are helping to set up and count the canned food or money that is collected daily.
Collections take place during periods 3 and 4 in the Student Center.
Teachers in different departments are holding a friendly competition to see who will have collected more cans and/or raised more money during the two week period.
So far the Social Studies department is dominating followed by Math and Science. The departments so far have raised the equivalent of 7,718 cans of food.
Donations of money are particularly helpful because the CRFP can buy a lot of food with just $5. “What is really amazing is that $5 will buy a lot more than just two cans. It can buy a 1-pound jar of peanut butter, three cans of tuna, one can of baked beans, two boxes of mac & cheese, which would normally cost almost $12.00,” said Peare.
Last year CHS collected more than 13,000 cans and more than 10,000 of that figure came in the form of $5,000 in cash donations.