Foothill High finds ‘one thing’ to do to battle hunger

Jessica Heintz, left, and Katherine Du Pont, right, unload cans of peanut butter and tuna into blue collection barrels. The two Foothill High School seniors brainstormed ideas during the summer to combat the hunger problem in Clark County, working with members of the Cornell Alumni Association in cooperation with Three Square.

By Frances Vanderploeg

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 | midnight

Following a summer workshop, Jessica Heintz and Katherine Du Pont, seniors at Foothill High School, are issuing a challenge to other teenagers to find one way to help end hunger in Clark County.

Three Square held a competition before school ended last year asking high school students to think of a way to help residents who do not have enough food. Heintz, a student body vice president, was one of the winners, submitting an essay that talked about the idea of doing just one thing to help, such as giving up a favorite treat for a year and donating that money to a food bank.

Each of the winners met with members of the Cornell Alumni Association during the summer and decided to expand on Heintz's essay as their way of helping.

To kick off the drive, winners from Foothill started a peanut butter and tuna drive Sept. 15, asking students to donate cans of peanut butter and tuna.

It sounds gross, Heintz said, but that's what food banks need the most.

They placed collection containers around campus, as well as handmade signs reminding their peers to bring in what they could. The drive was supposed to last a week, but they extended it three days after two other students, Kayla Everly and Alisa Starkweather, made a commercial promoting the food drive. Everly and Starkweather were part of the summer workshop with the Cornell alumni.

It was a fun, cartoon-like commercial featuring life-size peanut butter and tuna characters, Du Pont said. They begin as enemies but by the end realize they're working toward the same goal of ending hunger.

"It was really funny," Heintz said. "You can tell they worked really hard."

The students also held a surprise miracle minute at the school to raise funds, earning a total of $500.

"We had over $200 in dollar bills alone," Du Pont, student body treasurer, said. "A lot of people gave their lunch money, or part of their lunch money, to help."

The activities were meant to kick off what the girls hope will be a yearlong effort at the school. Du Pont visited with the presidents of area student councils to provide them with information on Three Square, how the hunger problem affects Clark County and Foothill's efforts, and asked them to come up with their own one thing at their schools.

Du Pont said she hasn't heard about other schools getting involved yet, but she thinks once they see how well Foothill students have responded, they'll be much more willing to do so, she said.

Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or frances.vanderploeg@hbcpub.com.