Students at Minot Forest Elementary, Decas Elementary, Wareham Middle School, and Wareham High School are doing their part to give back to the community.

Over the course of the last month or so, students have been working to collect food items to donate to local food pantries including Damien’s Food Pantry, St. Patrick's Church, and The Church of the Good Shepherd in Wareham, all of which help to feed hundreds of families in the South Coast area each year.

“It makes the students feel good about themselves, and they learn a lot through the process,” said Wareham High Principal Scott Palladino. “It's important for the students to give back to the community because the community does so much to support their education.”

At the Middle School, members of the Student Council collected over 500 various food items, and recently brought the items to Damien’s. At the High School, members of both the Code Club (a community service-based club) and the JROTC held food drives, collecting more than 1500 cans and other food items to be donated to the pantry. At each of the elementary schools, gym teachers held successful Hat Day Food Drives, where students who donated food items were allowed to create and wear hats during the school day.

“It's important for students to get involved in things like the food drive because it fosters a sense of community,” said Middle School Principal Dan Minkle. “There is intrinsic value in students knowing that they have done something to help those who need help.”