Midwood

Students collect 9,215 food items for City Harvest

Donations hit milestone for Murrow High School

November 30, 2016 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Student Alliance President Aleka Zovdun (left), pictured with fellow student Destiny Lozada, says the school’s academic departments compete with each other to see which one will donate the most food items. Photo by Lev Katreczko
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The generosity of Edward R. Murrow High School students knows no bounds. The school’s students recently hit a new milestone for their annual food drive, collecting and then donating an astonishing 9,215 food items to City Harvest, an organization that helps to feed the needy.

Founded in 1982, City Harvest is a nonprofit organization that collects food from restaurants, grocers, bakeries and other sources and then delivers the food to community food programs throughout the city for free.

City Harvest helps feed the more than 1 million New Yorkers that face hunger, according to the organization’s website, cityharvest.org. Several years ago, City Harvest established Healthy Neighborhoods programs to provide access to fruits and vegetables as well as nutrition education to residents of low-income neighborhoods.

Edward R. Murrow High School started helping out City Harvest joined the effort back in 1992, and has collected more than 20,000 pounds of canned goods and staples over the past 24 years, according to school officials. 

“Everyone participates. Departments compete and students drop items off daily,” said Student Alliance President Aleka Zovdun.

It’s an educational experience for students, Zovdun said. “Through our food drive, students really learn how to be responsible and productive members of society. They take ownership of the collection, counting the items and picking them up from classrooms. It means a lot to them to be able to do this for others,” she said. 

Principal Allen Barge said that the food drive fits in with the school’s educational philosophy. The school is located at 1600 Ave. L in Midwood.

“Our mission here at Murrow is multifaceted. We challenge our students academically and also instill in them the value of community service. Ensuring that everyone has enough to eat is a responsibility we share as a community. Our students learn that through their tremendous efforts,” Barge said. 

The City Harvest food drive isn’t the only way Murrow students give back to the community during the holiday season, school officials said.

Students and teacher also organize a toy drive to bring toys to Brooklyn Hospital’s PATH Center, a comprehensive HIV/AIDS facility. Several of the students deliver the donations when they volunteer at Brooklyn Hospital’s annual holiday party for families whose lives are adversely affected by HIV/AIDS.

Edward R. Murrow High School opened its doors 42 years ago. The school, which is named after legendary CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow, offers a variety of courses, including theater, art and music programs. In recent years, the school has instituted new programs such as Virtual Enterprise, the Writers Institute and a new music technology curriculum.

 

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