Contest for a good cause

Students in the practical nursing division of the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center came to the aid of the Red Star Baptist Church food pantry Monday by donating more than 2,300 cans of food.

The students were concerned over news reports the pantry was desperately in need of canned food, said student and organizer Ashley McElreyath. They decided to do something about it.

McElreyath said students agreed maximum donations could be obtained if the day and night classes of the nursing program made a competition of the two-week-long collection period.

"My original goal was about 500 cans for our class," McElreyath said. "And we more than doubled that so I'm excited."

As for the competition, the day classes edged out the evening classes by a mere five cans.

Students collected the food from local grocers, neighbors and friends and even from their own pantries. "Everybody just helped out so much," she said. "Our instructors were so good about everything. They gave us time to take off to do this."

McElreyath said she hoped students next year would do another food drive for the pantry.

Kevin Sexton, food pantry coordinator, said the arrival of the donation was just in time.

Sexton said the food pantry at 1301 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau serves about 200 families each month. After serving about 150 families, Sexton said food supplies were very low.

"This will carry us through January," he said. "It frees us up to use the little bit of money we have for other things."

Nursing student Amye Kilmer said she collected more than 110 cans herself going door to door in her Sikeston neighborhood.

Sikeston grocers gave her even more canned food, along with gift certificates she used to purchase more canned items.

The reward for collecting the most food items is to wear casual clothing to school for a week after the holiday break, said student Christa Clark. The competition was so close that both groups of students will get to dress casually for a week.

"Both of them came out winners in this," Donna Johnson, program administrator of the practical nursing program, said.

"We have decided that everyone would benefit," she said. "So both day and night classes will be able to dress casual."

Clark was impressed with what a few people who pull together can do to make a difference in others' lives. "I guarantee I will be more involved in things like this in the future," she said. "It was so neat to know that we could give them what they needed after they were having such a hard time."

After the delivery of the items, which also included some dry goods donations, about 20 students helped pantry volunteers organize them.

The nursing program prepares students to take the state licensing examination for nursing. Currently 43 students enrolled and all participated in the food drive, Johnson said.

"This group really reached out to their friends and family to help the community."

carel@semissourian.com

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