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Football season has arrived and the Community Foundation of West Georgia is coordinating students’ homecoming projects that give back to the community at Carrollton Elementary, Middle, Junior High and High Schools and Central Middle and High Schools.
Students at the schools will collect food, paper and personal products that will be featured as they fill homecoming parade floats in lieu of traditional decorations. The Community Foundation then will distribute the donated items to local nonprofit organizations to meet needs in the community.
“In this time of so many needs, it’s wonderful that students at these two schools have decided to make this part of their homecoming festivities,” Kim Jones, president of the Foundation, said. “Not only will hundreds of people benefit from the items donated, but this is a more environmentally-friendly and less wasteful way to ‘decorate’ homecoming floats.”
The Carrollton schools started a new tradition last year by making Homecoming benefit the community, collecting more than 13,000 items. This year they are joined by Central schools where students will prepare for their September 30 homecoming by collecting peanut butter, jelly, canned corn, green beans and soups and boxed cereals. Carrollton’s homecoming floats on October 21 will feature items that students there collect including toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, paper towels, bar soap, and dishwashing liquid.
Local organizations receiving the donations after the parades will be the Carroll County Soup Kitchen, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Outreach program, Manna House and Open Hands United Christian Ministries.
Jones pointed out that the items students are collecting are among those that always are in great demand at local food banks and outreach centers. She said also that many people do not realize that things like toothpaste and bathroom tissue are not covered by food stamps.
Anyone who wishes to donate items may contact Lee Burson at Carrollton High School or Linda Morris at Central High School.
“In the past, classes have struggled to raise funds and worked long hours to build homecoming floats that were seen not sustainable. They were seen only for a few minutes in a parade and then sent to a landfill,” Burson said. “Now, students still have the excitement of competing as classes to collect the most items, and the benefits of their efforts continue for many months in helping those in need in the community.”