On November 14, the CCCHS and CCRA Student Government Association handed out Thanksgiving Food baskets to families in need. Cans of vegetables and fruit, instant potatoes, gravy, sugar, and a certificate for a turkey were just a few of the items. Nicole Carney, the SGA advisor, had this to say:

“Each year we need around 170 baskets, and this year we received 177. In the years prior, we usually had around 150.”

The Thanksgiving food basket program has been going on since the early 90s and has gone through changes in recent years. At first, the program was very small and isolated. At that time, the baskets contained a turkey, dry milk, a pound of cornmeal, stuffing and potatoes. In order to accommodate the increasing need in Coffee County, the basket program has morphed into a community wide project, and the baskets’ contents have changed to lower the overall price and increase the longevity of the items. There are 525 students [which is the number of students who are qualified for free lunch] who  qualify to receive a basket, which is just below 42% of the total school population. Lauren Tomberlin, the student body president, gave her thoughts about the event:

“I feel like it opens our eyes. I mean look around you [She motioned towards the other student government members]. I would say we are all a privileged group. The joy we see in the people’s eyes when we give them these baskets is heartwarming.”

The food basket program would not be possible without the continued support of multiple organizations and businesses of the community. Churches, local businesses, school clubs, and the student government all come together to create baskets.

First year student government member and freshman class president Lane Spry had this remark:

“I’ve personally never done anything like this. By helping these people out, it builds our connection to the community. We are just the face of all of this. Without everyone’s support, this wouldn’t be possible.”

The Thanksgiving Food Basket program was a great success, all due to the support of the community.