Students step up to help collect food for needy

From left, West Elementary School students Allison Nicora, Trevor Hill and Hailey Baker fill up bags with non-perishable food while helping out at the local El-Ada office Dec. 16.

Students from local area schools broke several long-standing records by collecting thousands of food items during this year's "feed the need" campaign.

Over a two-week period, students at area schools brought in an assortment of boxed, bagged or canned non-perishable food to benefit low-income families in Mountain Home and surrounding communities.

Students at West Elementary School toppled a previous food drive record set in 2008, bringing in 1,440 food items over the past two weeks.

"We're still counting," said Bobbie Lockett, who worked with Kelly Depew to organize the school's effort this year. "This is easily our best year ever. Last year, we had maybe 1,000 items. This year, we way outdid ourselves."

See the Mountain Home News for the complete story.