When Christmas was just around the corner and holiday spirit filled the air, the National Honors Society (NHS) decided to give back to the community by hosting a food drive for the homeless.
On Dec. 21, NHS members were asked to bring in breakfast items for the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless (MCCH).
The MCCH began addressing homelessness in 1990 and according to mcch.net, its vision is to “end homelessness in Montgomery County by building a community where everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.” This organization persists to achieve its mission by providing housing plans and care for its clients.
NHS has been donating to the MCCH for six years, and will continue to do so in hopes of brightening the holiday season for the underprivileged. NHS sponsor Jennifer Bauer agrees that the MCCH is a great organization. “It’s nice to give to an organization that does so much good for people in need,” Bauer said.
Senior NHS president Amani Ahmed created an online sign up sheet to allow NHS members to buy specific items they would like to donate. Members were allowed to sign up for a maximum of three items, and each item gave members two hours toward their 15 required hours.
In addition, students could earn one hour for packing food and two hours for delivering the packed food to the MCCH center. Eight students assisted with the packing, one of them being senior Eden Blutstein. “I was impressed by the amount of items donated, and felt like NHS was really making a difference. The actual packing of the items was very quick and easy. It’s cool how someone can do something so small, like boxing cream cheese, and still make a change in someone’s life,” Blutstein said.
On Dec. 21, the breakfast items were packed and delivered to MCCH for breakfast on Dec. 22. The NHS successfully achieved its goal of feeding breakfast to 200 people.
On Dec. 23, the NHS sponsors received a letter from the MCCH’s Excecutive director, Susie Sinclair-Smith, thanking members for their support for and commitment to the community.
To continue participating in community activities, NHS will be making valentines for kids at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Smriti Gupta

Front Page Editor