This week, the annual De Soto High School food drive is taking place. The Cats Care organization has made some significant changes to the event this year in order to gain more involvement from DHS students. 

In years prior, the food drive has been more directed toward the De Soto community, rather than to DHS students themselves. Students have not previously had the chance to actively participate in the drive, and this year, members of Cats Care felt that the process needed to change. 

“In previous years we’ve involved the community more than actual DHS students. We’re really hoping that students can be personally involved and participate to help out the food pantry,” said Cats Care sponsor Lindsay O’Neil.

The food drive has ceased to be a popular event at DHS, especially because the majority of the donations came from the community members, rather than the students themselves. O’Neil and other members from Cats Care are aiming not only toward student participation, but student awareness. 

“I want there to be more involvement,” said junior Cats Care member and chairman of the food drive Egan Putman. “I would like more students to be aware and actually get involved instead of ignoring it.”

While the goal is for students to become more interested in the idea of donating for a good cause, it can be hard to generate excitement for something that seems unrewarding. 

Knowing that fact, Cats Care has decided to establish a prize that is eligible to be won by one donor on Friday, Oct. 4. When students donate their food items, they will receive a ticket for each item, which will be entered into a drawing. This entry will make the student eligible for a chance to win a prize that consists of a giftcard to the Cat’s Closet, as well as additional DHS merchandise. While they would like students to participate in order to support a good cause, O’Neil and Cats Care members are hoping that this incentive will be able to bring popularity to the idea of the food drive. 

“My hope is that [the prize] brings more awareness to the fact that we are conducting the food drive, and that students will be more excited about the opportunity to win a prize,” O’Neil said. 

“I think that the prize is a big enough incentive to increase donations,” Putman said. “While I’m hoping that the people who want to support the cause will still do it for those reasons, the prize will help the people who normally wouldn’t donate to go the extra mile.”

Although this food drive will include a prize, Putman believes that it is important for students to realize the benefit of donation and the cause that they are supporting. 

“It’s for a good cause. There’s a lot of people who are much less fortunate who rely on the food pantry for food, so it would benefit the overall De Soto community if everyone put in some effort and donated,” Putman said. “You could be helping students and families who live in De Soto and who walk in the same halls as us.”

With their newly renovated plan for the food drive, Cats Care has set high goals for the drive’s turnout this year. 

“In previous years, we’ve had as many as 1,900 non-perishable goods, and we would love to surpass our previous donations and raise more than 2000 items,” O’Neil said. 

According to Putman, the organization has worked hard to advertise for the event and feels that this promotion can help boost the benefits of the drive. 

“I feel like if we do enough marketing and ensuring that everyone knows when to bring the food, where to bring it, and all of that basic information, this could be one of the most successful food drives,” Putman said. 

For students who wish to bring non-perishable items for the food drive this week, donations are being accepted in the main office and in room 230.