The Perham Interact Club, a student-run community service organization, is adding a week-long food drive to its annual one-day Trick-or-Canning event.
Club members decided to increase the club's donations to the local food shelf, The Bridge Pantry, by hosting the district-wide food drive, according to a news release from Perham High School. The drive is happening this week, Oct. 11-15; Trick-or-Canning will take place this Sunday, Oct. 17.
Anya Roe, Lily Aakre, Audrey Tumberg and Sydney Anderson are the current student leaders of the Interact Club. The club has around 30 members and is hoping for more in the future.
Roe said it feels good to do something positive for the community.
“We do community service and we do fundraisers, and it’s all led by us students. We don’t have an adult supervisor, it’s just us students, which I think is cool," Roe said. "We have done ditch clean-up in the fall and the spring, and have painted the turtle in Turtle Park. We have our Walk for Hunger, which is our biggest fundraiser...raising money and donations for the food shelf.”
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Roe said Interact Club members inform other students about The Bridge’s need for donations and its "really amazing" impact on the community.
Trick-or-Canning features students dressed up for Halloween going to various neighborhoods in the community to seek donations for The Bridge.
“It’s very fun because it’s like Trick-or-Treating,” Roe said. “My favorite thing is just being with the club and...knowing we are doing something great for the community.”
For both Trick-or-Canning and the food drive, the Interact Club is seeking donations of non-perishable food items and personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo and deodorant. Roe said cash and check donations to The Bridge will be accepted, as well.
Donations for the food drive can be dropped off at the offices of the Perham High School, Prairie Wind Middle School and Heart of the Lakes Elementary School.
