Shepard food drive delivers again
November 29, 2012 1:58PM
Students place donated food items into the back of a Shepard High School mini-bus for delivery. | Supplied Photo
Updated: January 3, 2013 6:14AM
Students and teachers from Shepard High School recently continued a tradition more than a quarter century in the making: They delivered turkeys, stuffing, potatoes and canned goods to more than 30 area families unable to pick up their Thanksgiving meals.
The Jerry Lemon Food Drive, named for the teacher who founded the project in the 1980s, fed hundreds, school officials said. Some received deliveries of food, while others drove to Shepard to pick up their donations.
More will benefit at Christmas when teachers and students attempt to refill the large storage room in the Shepard basement with food and gifts.
“Despite an economy that has thinned family budgets, the Shepard community again rose to help those living in need,” a school spokesman said.
The event traces its history to some good fortune.
Lemon, a health teacher, had asked his students to bring in labels from canned foods to discuss nutritional information. Too lazy to peel off the labels, many just brought the cans so Lemon chose to donate them to an area food pantry.
In the years that followed, the food drive evolved. After Lemon retired, Shepard teacher Glenn Simms managed the food drive for 20 years before retiring in 2008. He involved more teachers, parents and Shepard clubs to grow the food drive project into a much larger project.
Provided to the
SouthtownStar
