It's About Doing the Right Thing
They might have been a little bit worried at first, even if Huntington High School student government faculty advisors Anthony Troffa and Fred Bisogno wouldn't admit it. Was this year's Stuff the Bus food drive campaign going to be as successful as last year's? It was anyone's guess, especially considering the battered economy.
In the end there was certainly no need to worry as the drive "collected an enormous amount of food, five times as much as last year," Mr. Troffa said. "We literally stuffed a full sized bus."
Huntington's elementary schools also pitched in with contributions, as did the J. Taylor Finley Middle School community. "Many people contributed," Mr. Troffa said, including high school teachers, student government members and the general student body. Many said they collected food items because they wanted to be part of a good cause.
The junior varsity boys' lacrosse team helped carry the enormous amount of food from Room 213 on the second floor of the high school where it had been stored during the actual drive, to the bus, which was donated by Huntington Coach Corp. and used to deliver the goods.
"A lot of food was collected outside of King Kullen and Waldbaum's," Mr. Troffa said. "The food was spilt between St. Hugh's and the Family Service League. They were very appreciative and somewhat overwhelmed by the unbelievable amount of food!"
Huntington student-government members not only stuffed the bus, but unloaded and carried all of the food items into the various charitable locations. "There will be plenty of stomachs filled," Mr. Troffa said.
Huntington social studies teacher James Graber shot a nifty time-lapsed video of students filling the bus with the donated items. Mr. Bisogo had a vision of something big and he was spot-on. "Last year we stuffed a mini-bus and this year we filled a full-sized bus," Mr. Troffa said.
GO President Alexandra Kiley and junior class President Joseph Straub took the lead in organizing and coordinating the initiative and collecting the food that made it so successful. "They not only rose to the occasion but surpassed our expectations," Mr. Troffa said. "They made this event their number one priority and we are extremely proud of them!"
The results of the drive stunned Messrs. Troffa and Bisogno. "The entire Huntington community came together for those in need," Mr. Troffa said. "Many students heard about the event and decided to help. They realized that it wasn't about extra credit. It was about doing the right thing."