Food drive benefits peers About 30 members of the Newark High School’s Indoor Track Team gave up a portion of their Super Bowl Sunday February 1 to solicit food drive items at Newark Walmart to help some of the school’s families in need. JV and Varsity members of the boys and girls team took turns standing outside the store, in very frosty temperatures, asking for both food items and monetary donations. Their efforts were met with great success. So much so that the generosity of so many Walmart customers resulted in enough items to fill Indoor Track Team coaches Karen Cline and Donna Blondell’s cars. These items were later packed in boxes that were given to 15 families right before the recent, week-long break Feb.16-20 Cline, who teaches health at NHS, noted the donations were timely since many students who rely on breakfast and lunch at the school, might not have those meals when they are not in school. The baskets were discreetly given to families identified by the NHS Counseling Department. Food items collected during a weeklong homeroom competition Feb. 2-6th were also included in the boxes. NHS math teacher Lori Reed’s homeroom donated the most food items, resulting in the students winning a Dunkin Donuts breakfast. Cline said money collected during the drive was used to purchase additional food and hygiene items that were included in the boxes. She gratefully noted both Walmart and Wegmans each gave $50 gift cards and also expressed special thanks to NHS Family and Consumer Science teacher Barb Mikler-Crandon, NHS psychologist Kristin Leonard, Jim Miranda, owner and operator of Miranda Photography in Newark; and Dunkin Donuts for their generous donations. On February 13th, the families each received two boxes of food filled with things such as bread, pasta, macaroni and cheese mixes, peanut butter, toothbrushes, toothpaste and more. Each family received a bag of apples purchased from the Apple Shed in Fairville. NHS Director of Counseling Danielle McGavisk and Susan Gardner, a school counselor, delivered boxes and noted the recipients were “very appreciative.“ Thanks to Danielle McGavisk and Karen Cline for providing photos!