Marjory Stoneman Douglas students preparing PB&J sandwiches. {courtesy}
Feeding The Future, a student-led initiative at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, whose primary goal is to organize community service events to combat food insecurity, has been busier than ever as the holiday season approaches.
What began as a unified desire to help others has grown into a full-scale effort fighting food insecurity through hands-on volunteerism and student leadership.
Representatives from Feeding the Future recently told Parkland Talk that the inspiration behind the project came from two places. “The spark for what prompted us to create Feeding The Future was the desire to help our community in some sort of way, and because we have seen food insecurity affect not just our community but communities around the world,” the students said.
“Of course, we can’t get rid of food insecurity totally, but our mission is to help fight it and make an impact.”
One of their most significant accomplishments came last week, through a PB and J sandwich-making event the group organized in just seven days. The idea first surfaced on November 13 when DECA Advisor Sharon Cutler came across a Facebook post asking Parkland residents to donate sandwiches for local charities. She sent the screenshot to the students around 10:00 p.m. to see if they wanted to help.
By the next morning, founders Ethan Klein, Mallory Biederman, and Shruthika Bandiathmakur were in her classroom with a complete plan in place.
“Organizing the PB and J Sandwich Making was a speedy turnaround. Everything happened within one week,” the group said. “By the next morning, we were in her classroom with a full plan.”
On November 20, Cutler’s classroom became an assembly line. Fifty students worked together to make 415 sandwiches in just 45 minutes, collecting all the supplies themselves.
The National Honor Society helped provide peanut butter using materials from their past events, students brought in jelly, and the founders gathered the bread. The group delivered the sandwiches to The Legacy Closet, selected after seeing it listed as a drop-off site in the original Facebook post.
The organization’s reaction made the effort even more meaningful to the students. “When we got to the door, they were so excited,” Feeding The Future said. “Once we told them we had 415 sandwiches total, they were speechless and so thankful.”
The group says they have also led a birthday box drive with SOS Children’s Village, gathering more than 400 donated items and preparing to assemble about 40 boxes. Their card-making events generated 160 handmade birthday cards for children in the village.
In addition, the group says it has partnered with Boca Helping Hands, where students packed and sorted food donations and created more than 200 pantry bags for families preparing for Thanksgiving.
Follow @msd_feedingthefuture on Instagram for more information about future Feeding The Future efforts.
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