Stacks of nonperishable food items along with bags and bags of pet food take up space in several rooms at North Platte St. Patrick High School.
Students have been gathering the goods. On Thursday, they will present the people food to the Salvation Army and the pet food to the North Platte Animal Shelter.
“Every year we usually do a drive like this,” said Student Council President Cassie Brown. “We decided to do a drive for the North Platte Animal Shelter and also for the Salvation Army because that is a very important part of our community.”
Brown said the students just wanted to help both entities — people and animals.
The drive is a contest among the four high school classes.
“We put point values on all the goods, so the class that accumulates the most point values will win the competition,” said Brown, who is a senior. “They will win a pizza party.”
On Thursday, the school will have a big pep rally.
“There will be more opportunities to gain points for each class (at the rally),” Brown said. “I’m really excited to have everyone’s support. Everyone has been so generous.”
She said the students try to support various organizations throughout the school year.
“We donated some money to Fur the Love of Paws and we donated $1,800 to Make-A-Wish earlier this year,” Brown said. “I really appreciate everyone’s support. It’s really been fun.”
