Santa Clara students keep food donations rolling in

Photo by Anthony Plascencia, Ventura County Star

Santa Clara High School students Colleen Raab (left) and Megan Ruckstuhl organize boxes of dry and canned goods collected by fellow students Friday. The food drive started in November, and students have kept it going.

Though the hustle and bustle of the winter season has died down, one Ventura County school strives to keep its spirit of giving alive year-round.

Students and organizers at Santa Clara High School, a private school in Oxnard, were inspired to extend their holiday food drive after collecting more than 12,000 canned or nonperishable food items in two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. The number was more than triple their 4,000-item goal.

Because of their success, they helped take a nearby food pantry from nearly empty to full in preparation for the holidays. They donated the food to Catholic Charities, a community service center in Oxnard. They helped feed more than 200 people in the community with stock remaining through Christmas, according to Janet Deprima, Catholic Charities director.

"It was overwhelming," Deprima said. "It was a great feeling to be able to feed all those people in need. We would not have been able to give enough to the families without the donations."

Organizers at Santa Clara hope to keep the effort going by setting an even higher goal for the end of the school year. They are working to collect 20,000 food items, including the holiday total, by June, before the seniors graduate. The school is collecting food and money and plans to give its donations to the Santa Clara Parish food pantry.

The students and those in need are getting more out of the drive by extending it beyond the holidays, said religion department Chairman Daniel Lendman, who led the holiday efforts.

"People are not just hungry during the holidays," Lendman said. "We are doing everything we can to show our students people need help. We are developing good habits."

Photo by Anthony Plascencia, Ventura County Star

Eric Shettler of Port Hueneme stacks boxes as his fellow students organize dry and canned goods collected at Santa Clara High School on Friday. The food drive started in November, and students have kept it going.

Santa Clara High senior Max Martinez, 17, is a student leader in the year-end food drive. He helps motivate other students and collect weekly accumulations of donations from classrooms. He drives on his way to school past a service center where people in need line up for food regularly.

"Every day, I see how many people are really in need, and I get the feeling I am helping out," Martinez said. "Whatever we can do, it helps a lot."

Organizers estimate they have collected about 1,000 food items on top of the 12,000 from the holidays. They take in about 450 food items a week.

The school ended its Catholic Schools Week drive Friday. It collected for two weeks to celebrate philanthropy as a Catholic school.

"As Christians and Catholics, this is our faith in action, and for young people to embrace that in this day in age — it's a great thing," said Edward Robillard, Santa Clara High principal.

Call the school office at 483-9502 to donate.