Students at the NC School of Science and Math have organized a food drive for this weekend. We think that is awesome, and we are happy to share the details of that they have planned, as shared with us by Tess Crumpton 26′:
We are hosting an online drive (live now through Sunday, December 7th)
We are also having a physical food collection at NCSSM Durham (1219 Broad St)
Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Tess Crumpton (26′): What is the NCSSM Food Drive?
We were inspired to organize a major food drive after learning that our school, the NC School of Science and Mathematics, set the Guinness World Record for the most food raised in one location in 24 hours in 2011. Our motivation grew after talking with representatives from the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and learning that awareness of food insecurity is falling while demand is steadily increasing. 20% of people in Durham, and over 600,000 people in all of Central and Eastern North Carolina, are food insecure.
NCSSM students with the food already collected
In response, we are hosting this food drive where people can contribute through monetary or physical donations: Online donations are being collected at our JustGiving Page, set up by Ryan O’Donnell, who is mentoring our team and graduated from our school in 2011, and was one of the students heavily involved in the 2011 world record drive. All money donated goes straight to the food bank, where $1 can be turned into 5 meals. You can also donate physical food at NCSSM Durham (1219 W Broad Street) from 10:00 am-2:00 pm this Saturday and Sunday. The most needed items are: canned goods (fruits, vegetables, meat, beans, soup, dairy products, etc), cereal & oatmeal, whole grain pasta and rice, and peanut butter.
Jay Weaver (’26) on ‘What the food drive means to him’:
“This is only breakfast,” the food drive manager told the students from NCSSM who broke the world record for the most food raised in 24 hours at 569,885lbs 15 years ago. Since 2011, the need has only worsened, where now 1 in 5 individuals in central and eastern North Carolina face food insecurity and rely on food banks. (According to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina (https://foodbankcenc.org). Personally, this has really stuck with me. Having over 600,000 neighbors who struggle to find meals is a problem that I know I cannot solve on my own, but knowing the reputation and connections here at NCSSM, I thought, “Why not give it a shot?”. Since then, we’ve been meeting weekly and now daily, reaching out to students, faculty, parents, alumni, community members, and anyone else who is interested in helping out.
Harper Hifko (’26) on her experience managing social media for the NCSSM Food Drive Team:
I have been working on the food drive team for the past two years, focusing primarily on social media and student outreach to promote the drive. This year has been especially rewarding, seeing how many people have gotten involved in our cause. Whether it’s encouraging students to make fun promotional videos or pose with a sign, it has been exciting to see them actively participate in making the drive possible. Coming back from break and seeing all the food that people brought in made me hopeful for how much more we can do to support our community.
Elizabeth Taber (’26):
“The most amazing thing about this food drive is the way it’s strengthened our community, in and out of school. Every student at NCSSM is passionate and dedicated to something, but our busy schedules pull us in a million directions and make it hard to create a unified effort. After my first meeting, I was inspired by how committed everyone was: even people who just came for their friends were still genuinely invested. People I’ve never talked to have asked me about the food drive, eager to get involved. I’ve dragged my friends to meetings, and they’ve left with that same buzz of excitement.
People want to believe in this. I think everyone has a small (or big) part of them that wants to change the world. The food drive opens their eyes to a major problem and gives them a way to fix it. It’s also a way to leave the NCSSM bubble: we get to call Durham home for two years, and we owe it to our community to transform our ambition and resources into real impact.”
NCSSM students holding a poster for the event
Dining and Cooking