Emma Szabo
You go home after a long day at school, food being the only thing on your mind, but when you open the fridge, you see nothing in there. You go to bed hungry as you wait for your next meal at school tomorrow. The problem may not be hunger, but the reality is that many people in San Antonio face multiple hardships every day, and our students are working hard to help them out.
The GT(Gifted and Talented) 2 students are working on donation drives to help the community to different organizations in our community. GT 2 organizes drives, so the students conduct these drives to demonstrate what they’ve learned in the class while helping others. These groups of students are working with five different organizations, and they’ll begin taking item donations at the beginning of the third six weeks.
“We’re collecting art supplies such as supplies will be going towards young children who are less fortunate,” sophomore Akshita Rawat said.
Rawat and her group are working with Any Baby Can, an organization located in San Antonio that provides free services to families with children who have chronic illnesses or disabilities.
Though many people may not realize it, there are students here who can benefit from these drives. One group is starting up a food pantry to help students here at school.
“Me, Phoebe Welton, Skylar Bell, and Addison Ayala are starting the O’Connor Food Pantry. The food pantry will help all of the Panthers who may have school breakfast and lunch as their only meals,” sophomore Caroline Buchhorn said.
Buchhorn’s group will be collecting non-perishable food items during the drives and afterward so the pantry can stay stocked.
For the Ronald McDonald House, getting these can tabs is just as important as getting cleaning supplies and children’s toys.
“The soda tabs get sold to scrap companies by the Ronald McDonald House so they can pay their bills and
more than they’re worth because it’s important the house stays open, and it helps remove some of the stress families staying in the house have,” sophomore Taylor Alton said.
Boxes for each group’s drive will be set up around the school for students to drop off items in, but students can give tabs to Mrs. Sweitzer-Guzman.
Helping the community doesn’t mean just helping the people in it, it also means helping our furry friends. The Animal Care Services of San Antonio is dedicated to helping care for animals in San Antonio. Sophomore Jocelyn Martinez’s group is working with them to help collect supplies for the animals in their care.
“We’ll be collecting paper towels, collars, dog toys, and treats. Our goal is to help all the different animals that aren’t as fortunate as our animals are,” Martinez said.
By doing this project, the GT 2 students are not only collecting donations for their organizations, but also raising awareness about their causes. Whether it’s through donations or volunteering, helping those in need is a reward in itself. The goal is to have a lasting impact on the community the drive serves.