Edward Jones is collecting food Oct. 15-Nov. 19

Would you like to have a chance to really make a difference in the community?

Buy a few extra items when you buy groceries this week to donate to the local food pantry and drop them off at our local Edward Jones branch.

The Cedar Springs Community Food pantry, located at the Cedar Springs United Methodist Church on Main Street, works in conjunction with North Kent Community Services. The pantry feeds hundreds of local families each year and depends on the community to help restock their shelves, especially during the busy fall and winter months. One local business spearheads a drive each year to do just that.

Edward Jones, 4027 17 Mile Road, Cedar Springs, achieved their goal last year of collecting 2,500 pounds of food, and so they’ve raised the goal this year. They hope to collect a whopping 2,750 pounds of food this year by November 19! In a year where grocery shopping is hard, this may be a challenge but if we pull together we can do it!

They started this annual food drive in 2010, and over the last 10 years, they’ve collected over 18,000 pounds to benefit our neighbors in need.

Non-perishable foods can be dropped off at the Edward Jones office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Suggestions for the pantry include boxed or canned meals such as soups, hamburger helper, macaroni and cheese, rice, pasta, spaghetti sauce, baking and pancake mix; and canned meats. Personal care items such as bar soap, laundry soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and toilet paper will also be accepted, but not weighed. No cash donations accepted.

Call 696-9370 for more information.

Student Leadership Council is focusing on “giving back” and “family engagement” at the Middle School. Students brought in over 1,000 food items for a Food Drive. Students were able to build 10 baskets for our local families. Food Baskets included everything needed for a Thanksgiving Day feast and then some. Additional items were donated to North Kent Community Services, which also helps to support our families from the Cedar Springs and neighboring areas.

The group of students also suggested more opportunities for family nights. Their wishes were answered, and thanks to our partnership with En Gedi, Craig Owens was able to help us kick off a Family Fun Night at the Middle School. Parents, students and their siblings competed in Bubble Soccer. Pizza was provided. It was a great night with lots of laughs.

Students are working to coordinate the following for future give-back opportunities:

• Taking a “field trip” to Degage Ministries to help out

• Visiting the residents at Metron of Cedar Springs

• Volunteering some time to help support St. John Paul II Community Dinners

• Writing letters to our Veterans

If you or your child have any ideas for Family Fun Nights or Giving Back, please contact Jodi West at jodi.west@csredhawks.org or (616) 696-7326. Student Leadership is not an exclusive group. All students are welcome to drop in. Meeting are every other Thursday from 2:20-3:15, resuming on January 5, 2017.

CTA takes pride in character education in their 300 students. The November character trait they focused on was Kindness and they have rolled what they learned into December – a month where there is much need for kindness and giving.

“The ‘CTA Way’ is being demonstrated in many ways this month,” shared Dean of Students Autumn Mattson. “We strive daily to instill the core value that all of our students can change the world. We are so proud of who our staff and students have chosen to give their time, energy and support to throughout the community during this holiday season. “

Toys For Tots and Coin Drive

11th grade student Cortney Aspinall displays a few of the toys that were collected for Toys for Tots.

Kindergarten students won the coin drive.

The largest project of the season was the school-wide Toys for Tots toy drive combined with a coin drive. The initiative is in its 4th year at CTA. Each class competed to raise the most “positive” change – pennies counted as positive and silver and dollars counted as negative. The kindergarten class raised the most with more than $52 “positive” dollars and the school as a whole raised more than $800. All of the funds raised during the coin drive were donated to the Toys for Tots campaign to be used to purchase additional gifts for children throughout southwest Michigan. The school also served as a WZZM 13 Toys for Tots drop off location and collected 78 toys from students and the community. Kindergarten teacher Lauren Bostic, who assisted in coordinating the Toys for Tots projects shared, “Our hope is that these students will look outside of themselves to see that there is a great need in the community and the world and that other children may not enjoy the ‘luxuries’ they are used to – such as gifts under the tree on Christmas morning.” The coin drive has been going on for more than 4 years and previously the funds went to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

Society In Film students display the many cards they wrote and made for servicemen and women.

Spreading Cheer To Those Who Serve

All of the Social Studies classes in the High School wrote Christmas and holiday cards to send to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans – a long-term care facility for veterans which provides support, health services, clothing, living facilities and necessities. Some cards were handcrafted while others were store-bought, but all of the 80-plus cards that were written expressed gratitude to the servicemen and women for their service and sacrifice to our country. Cards were also written to a group of Southfield-based Army reserve soldiers who are currently deployed in Afghanistan for 10 months. “I wanted to provide the students with an opportunity to be an encouragement to others during the holiday season,” shared Shellie Chilcote, long-term Social Studies substitute teacher whose daughter and son-in-law are both currently serving in the reserves. “We have so much to be thankful for in our country. These veterans and active-duty soldiers have all made great sacrifices that ensure the freedoms we enjoy today.”

Charger Basketball Teams Food Drive

Thirty pounds of food have been collected to date by the boys and girls basketball teams to benefit Mel Trotter Ministries in Grand Rapids – and they are still going until Dec. 19. The boys and girls teams are competing against each other in a food drive and it’s all based on food weight. “Our athletes are truly appreciative of the things that they have received from their families and hope to give back to the community,” shared girls basketball coach Steve Washington. “One of our lady Chargers saw this as an opportunity to raise awareness, serve our community and have fun competing with the guys team as well.”

A Compass Coach food drive on a casino bus run to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan raised 1,100 pounds in food donations and $300.00 in cash.

North Kent Community Services, at 10075 Northland Dr., was the benefactor of this collection. Kathy Clements, the Business Manager at North Kent, was amazed at the generosity of these casino riders, along with Compass Coach donating the trip in exchange for donations.

“So many folks are short on resources this year, it’s a treat to have local businesses step up and help,” said Clements.

Compass Coach also runs a Winter Coat drive Nov. 29, along with Toys for Tots in December.

On Saturday October 12, 2013, the Access Countywide Food Drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Family Fare Store in Cedar Springs. Items donated will benefit the Cedar Springs Community Food Pantry and the Food Pantry at the Solon Wesleyan Church. Cub Scouts and other volunteers at the store entrances will have lists of suggested items that shoppers may buy and then donate to the Food Pantries. All items contributed will be gratefully appreciated.

The Boy Scouts of Troop 222 from Cedar Springs held their annual food drive on Saturday, March 16 at Family Fare. Eleven Scouts collected 570 nonperishable items, including food, hygiene products and laundry supplies. Patrons of Family Fare donated individual items, carts filled with groceries and cash. The scouts learned the value of community service and the value of clipping coupons! The cash that was collected was used to purchase additional needed items with coupons and the “Ten for $10” sale. The generous support from the local community was outstanding and donations were almost tripled from last year’s 200 items. All items were donated to the Cedar Springs Community Food Pantry.  Community members in need or wanting to contribute additional donations can contact the pantry at (616) 696-1140. Thanks to Family Fare, community members and all that continue to support Scouting.

Curves International announces its 15th Annual Food Drive, “Feed the Need,” and challenges Curves’ club members in the U.S. and Canada to meet a goal of 100,000 donations during the two-week period of March 11—March 23. Each club, including Curves of Cedar Springs, is asking its members to donate bags of non-perishable food or cash to support their local community food bank. In addition, Curves of Cedar Springs will waive the joining fee for new members who bring in a bag of non-perishable food or donate $30 to their local food bank during the two week period.

When combined donations from all Curves clubs reaches the goal of 100,000 donations, Curves International will donate 10 percent of March 2013 profits to “Blessings in a Backpack,” a non-profit organization that ensures that impoverished elementary school children are fed on the weekends throughout the school year.

“This year’s theme, ‘Feed the Need,’ really represents both what we want to accomplish with this year’s food drive and what we do as a business,” said a Curves of Cedar Springs staff member. “We want to help feed local families and school children who would otherwise go hungry on the weekends and we also want to ‘feed the need’ of local women seeking a health and fitness program that fits their busy lifestyle.”

For more information about Curves of Cedar Springs, located at 55 N. Main, and the 2013 Curves Food Drive, contact a Curves of Cedar Springs staff member at 616-696-1689 or 97PF9XZPO@curvesmail.com. For more information about Curves, please visit www.curves.com.