St. Paul students and police donate a ton of food, literally
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Police and high schoolers stepped up big time to feed a need ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Dozens of St. Paul police officers, alongside St. Paul high schoolers and members of the Junior ROTC, spent their Thursday morning unpacking a ton of food, literally.
It's all set to head out to those in need, from St. Paul's Hallie Q. Brown Community Center.
"We've been the center gathering point for the Rondo neighborhood and the African American community in St. Paul for over 94 years," said Jonathan Palmer, Executive Director for the center.
This food drive was an annual tradition until COVID hit, but it seems the community is making up for lost time.
"We still have a greater amount coming to our food shelf than we did pre-pandemic," said Palmer. "This is more food, this is more officers helping, so this has come back with a vengeance. It's really something that's going to help us to feed our families."
Students from high schools like Humboldt, Como and Harding collected food from their schools and neighbors.
"Honestly, we help a lot of people, and this is something that nothing we've ever done could ever top," said Xiomara Garcia, a senior at Humboldt and member of the Junior ROTC.
"We turned it into a little bit of a challenge," said St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry.
St. Paul police held a contest to see who could collect the most.
"We thought if we're going to bring this back, we're going to do it in a really intentional way, and I think we've seen the results of that," said Henry.
From macaroni and soup, to culturally-specific items, even pet food and hygiene products.
It's a need Humboldt Senior Xiomara Garcia said has hit home for her.
"This is actual real people that are going to get this food and really need this, and it's something that words cannot explain," said Garcia.
Click here if you'd like to help out.