More than 40 families and 150 children in the Sebring community will receive food and gifts this Christmas from the generous contributions from students, community members, local businesses, and area organizations.
The annual food drive at B.L. Miller Elementary collected hundreds of items to supply 39 families with baskets filled with food, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products. The food drive, now in its 28th year, is sponsored by Leann Laure’s third grade class. Throughout December, B.L. Miller classes competed to earn points for each donation - with high-need items such as peanut butter and cereal earning bonus points on special days throughout the drive.
“The student participation really demonstrated how much they care - how much they care about the goal of the project and care about helping others,” says Laure.
The massive store of nonperishable items collected by students is just a portion of the extensive care packages families will receive this week. Each year, donations pour in from throughout the community for the baskets. Additional items such as milk, bread, eggs, hygiene staples, and cleaning supplies were provided through donations from Sebring staff, community families, local businesses, and area organizations. Sebring Villas sponsored food donations for an additional three families beyond the school’s baskets.
“It really is a community project,” says Laure. “The outpouring of support from businesses, organizations and individuals in our community helps to provide not just pantry staples for these families, but clothes and gifts for the holiday as well.”
The 150 children in all food basket recipient families will be receiving gifts for the holiday as well- either through the Sebring Salvation Army or gifts secured by way of donations to Sebring Schools. The Sebring Salvation Army and Sebring Villas sponsored gifts for nearly 50 children of the applicants, and B.L. Miller staff went to work securing donations and support to provide clothing and toys for the remaining 100 children in the families.
The food drive and gift donations for these families has been made possible through contributions from:
- Accent Home Improvement
- Apex Control Systems
- Copeland Oaks Residents
- Danny’s Cans
- Giant Eagle in Salem
- S.E.S. - Steel Equipment Specialists
- Scarpitti Foundation
- Sebring B.L. Miller P.I.E.
- Sebring community members
- Sebring Local Schools students and staff
- Sebring Presbyterian Church
- Sebring Salvation Army
- Sebring Villas
- Trinity Lutheran Church
- Tru Cut
- United Way
Sebring B.L. Miller students racked up points for each item donated in a friendly competition between classes for the annual food drive. Throughout the drive, items such as peanut butter, jelly, cereal, and macaroni and cheese were worth bonus points.
Donations from staff, churches, businesses, and community members helped provide additional items for the 39 baskets Sebring B.L. Miller Elementary will distribute to area families this week.
The 28th annual Food Drive at B.L. Miller is coordinated by Leann Laure’s third grade class. The students collect and count the items and graph each class’s contributions.
The community food and gift giveaway is not possible without the contributions and time provided by community members, local businesses and organizations, students, and staff. The giveaway is providing food to 42 local families and gifts for the 150 children in these families.
Sebring B.L. Miller students brought nonperishable items throughout December to contribute to food giveaways for district families.