The theme for this year’s Canned Food Drive, which began Nov. 1 and ends Nov. 18, is “CAN-cel Hunger”, Claira Paul, Sophomore Class President, said. Donations will go to the Northfield Township Food Pantry, which serves as a vital source of groceries and supplies for many South families every week, Mark Maranto, Assistant Principal of Student Activities, explained. 

The amount of donations has decreased since the outbreak of Covid-19, motivating Student Council to work harder than ever to increase participation this year, Drew Duffy, Student Body President, said. To do so, the Student Council has focused on organizing activities for South students and reached out to Glenview-owned businesses, Paul explained. 

“The Student Council has organized a week of events, raffles, and basketball games to raise donations,” Paul said. 

The “week of events” gives South students a chance to show school spirit, Paul said. In addition, the Student Council will hold a raffle, she said. Students can buy raffle tickets or donate canned food in place of a ticket, she explained. 

Points will be assigned to donations for a club competition this year, Paul said. Higher priority items like applesauce, beans, and an assortment of canned foods will be worth the most points, she explained. The club with the most points will win South merchandise, she added.

The recent trend in the decrease in donations may not stem from a lack of motivation but from monetary reasons instead, senior Andy Ko, Student Body Co-Vice President, said.

“Since we just went through an economic recession [with] Covid-19, a lot of [Glenview families] might be a little less well-off,” Ko said. “[This economic change] might lead to [families] being a little hesitant about donating.”

This year, Duffy hopes the drive will bring the community together through increased rates of participation. 

“I hope this is one of our best years yet,” Duffy said. “With [Covid-19] being less of a problem this year, I think we’ll have a better opportunity to reach out to our community and see more participants.”