Wallace Middle School’s Youth Action Club Is Committed To Hunger Action

Hays County, TX – October 25, 2016

The first thing you see when you walk through the front doors of Wallace Middle School (WMS), is a large, blue, plastic collection bin with a Hays County Food Bank poster taped to the front. “The entire school is supporting us,” said Dee Niedzielski, the club sponsor.

The WMS Youth Service Club began last year, and one of its first tasks was to help Hays County Food Bank. Members collected nutritious food for Hays County residents in need and helped to advocate on behalf of the local food insecure population. They even started a school garden in the hopes of providing fresh produce for their school cafeteria and food bank distribution. Staff and students are optimistic that the club will grow each year and that they will be able to help even more families who require food assistance.

The students in the Youth Service Club are very excited to talk about their service and how the club benefits their community. According to club member Lucas Holloway, they “made posters [to hang] around the school, saying ‘don’t forget to bring canned foods’”. Another club member, Mitchell Machuca, added that they also made special announcements to increase school-wide participation. When the club members were asked how they felt about serving their community, Skyler Johnson commented that she enjoys helping “people who you never really know”, Hannah Zuniga said she was motivated by “making the world a better place”, and Nick Santos shared that he was driven by being able to deliver something tangible like canned food. Mrs. Niedzielski said that participating in a food drive is a “great thing for [their] school to do, because kids can feel [like they are] a part of something big, even with one canned food item”. Club member Ruby Holloway agreed. She said “just knowing that the people out there that can’t afford food will be able to eat and have a full stomach” made it worth it to her.

As if hosting a food drive was not enough, these ambitious WMS students are also involved in fundraising for Hays County Food Bank this holiday season. They want to sponsor holiday meal boxes for 100 families for Turkeys Tackling Hunger. To do so, they will need to raise $3,000 total, with a goal of $30 per advisory class.

Hays County Food Bank is lucky to be able to collaborate with WMS and their Youth Service Club. The food bank is always looking for youth groups to build partnerships like this with. If your group would like to volunteer with Hays County Food Bank, please contact Jason Kamimoto at (512) 392-8300 x222 or jkamimoto@haysfoodbank.org. If your group would like to set up a holiday food drive or fundraiser, please contact Ashley Hurst at (512) 392-8300 x230 or ahurst@haysfoodbank.org.

In 2015, Hays County Food Bank and its 20+ partner agencies distributed 690,397 pounds of food to an average of nearly 12,000 food, insecure residents, each month. These residents were senior citizens, children, and many others facing economic challenges. “Food insecurity” refers to the availability of food and one’s access to it. Hays County Food Bank is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit haysfoodbank.org or visit us on Facebook or Twitter at @HaysFoodBank.