Lasting from November 13th to December 17th, the annual Bronx Science Food Drive was once again a success. For the second consecutive year, our school has met our goal of 3000 cans – and this year, we’ve even exceeded our goal and raised 3,374 cans! Through the hard work of students and faculty alike, we have greatly contributed to the City Harvest of New York, a nonprofit organization that helps provide food for New York City residents in the five boroughs. Food donated to the City Harvest is then distributed to community centers and soup kitchens to help end hunger in our community.

One in six people face starvation in the United States. This computes to over 50 million Americans nationwide being unable to set food on their dinner table. Food insecurity, or lack of access to food, has become a major problem for many families. In similar circumstances, it is important to give back to your community and help those in need, even if it is just for one person. “Due to the fact that a large volume of food is wasted in many institutions, I believe we should better allocate more resources for people who cannot easily afford these necessities,” said Sk Rahat ’19.

The S.O. cabinet set up posters all around the school to remind us to donate to the Can Drive. Unlike last year, where students were rewarded with a no homework day after our goal was met, this year the S.O. and the Parent Association planned a prize for the homeroom that brought in the most cans — a surprise pizza party.

This year, Miles Yamner ’21 donated 318 cans to the food drive. That’s almost ten percent of the total cans donated. “It really just breaks my heart every day, whether it be on the subway or the street, I always see people who are in genuine need. Rather than just doing the bare minimum of what was required, I want to help these people get their lives back, so that they can take control again and no longer have to live in constant hunger and despair,” said Yamner.

“Giving back to our community and show support for our neighbors makes us become better people,” said Beatrice Arana ’19.

Many teachers have encouraged students to donate to the can drive through a reward system. By offering extra credit, students are more motivated to donate and give back to the community. A large portion of the donations come from teachers who have offered extra credit to students, which helped to meet our goal. However, the donation and the thought of helping others that is more important. “It is really important donate. Sometimes we need to take time to think of someone other than ourselves and realize that a small act of kindness can be very impactful,” said Caroline Hana ’19.

By donating to the can drive, not only are we helping out those struggling, but helping others gives ourselves a sense of happiness and satisfaction because we are doing what we can to help those around us.