Clinton Elementary students collect more than 2,500 nonperishable food items during canned food drive
- news655
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
By BRAD HEINEMAN
Clinton Local
Students across Clinton Elementary School, and with some added help from those at Clinton Middle School, got into the giving spirit during the week of school preceding the Thanksgiving holiday.
The elementary school’s weeklong, second annual canned food drive from Nov. 17-21, led by the PRIDE Leadership Team, proved to be an even greater success than last year’s inaugural Thanksgiving food drive, which spanned two weeks.
“Last year, students gathered 2,000 food items over the course of two weeks to support the Clinton United Methodist Church food pantry. This year, they exceeded that total in just one week, collecting an incredible 2,586 items,” said Clinton Elementary Principal Adam Jurasek.
While it was promoted as a competitive and fun canned food collection between all grade levels in the elementary school, the food drive served as a group effort within the elementary building to collect things like boxed pasta, canned goods, baking supplies and peanut butter to benefit those in the community.
The final collection of nonperishable, canned food items was accepted by noon Nov. 21. After each can of corn and tuna fish was counted and every box of dried pasta was tallied, the final numbers for the Thanksgiving canned food drive were as follows:
• District goal 2,000 items. Collected items as of Nov. 21: 2,586.
• Lower elementary collected 1,312 items; upper elementary collected 648 items; middle school collected 626 items.
• Kindergarten students earned third place with 300 total collections.
• First grade registered 241 collections.
• Second grade registered 177 collections.
• Third grade earned first place with 594 collections and will receive an ice cream/root beer float party in December courtesy of Busch’s in Clinton.
• Fourth grade registered 231 collections.
• Fifth grade earned second place with 417 total collections.
“We are especially proud of our partnership with the middle school Leadership Class, led by Mrs. (Annmarie) Mausolf, who worked alongside our students to make this drive such a success,” Jurasek said. “(PRIDE) coaches Sarah Moorehead and Bill Weidner are extremely proud of their teams’ dedication to helping those in need in our community.”
PRIDE at the elementary school, which stands for partnership, respect, integrity, dedication and enthusiasm, is still a pretty new concept being learned daily by students. The PRIDE Leadership Team is comprised of a select group of students who essentially apply for a spot on the team after going through interviews during which Moorehead and Weidner sit down with the applicants to discuss the qualities and traits of leadership.
“It was a tremendous week with so many people bringing in cans,” Weidner reflected of the Thanksgiving canned food drive. “I think every day I saw students loaded down with grocery bags and boxes full of canned tuna fish, peas and corn and all kinds of great stuff to donate to Clinton United Methodist Church.”
“Every grade level deserves a pat on the back for all of your contributions and embodying PRIDE in looking out for others,” added Moorehead.
The Clinton Community Food Pantry is housed at Clinton United Methodist Church, 10990 Tecumseh-Clinton Highway. For information about the pantry, contact the church office by calling 517-456-4972.
The 2025-26 elementary PRIDE leadership team also is challenging students and staff to help keep the new elementary playground clean and safe by picking up and removing rocks that have started to accumulate on the playground’s flooring.
The challenge — taking a minute or so each day — is to pick up as many rocks as can be found on the playing surface and to place them in the grassy area outside the playground so that the brand-new playing surface does not get damaged.