GILROY—Members of Christopher High School’s Interact Club weren’t sure of the response they would get when they gave up their weekends and sat outside Nob Hill market in Gilroy to collect food for needy people.
They thought maybe people would see them as a nuisance, or just walk on by.
But what happened next shocked and amazed them and made them want to do more.
“It was awesome,” said Kaitlyn Lombardo, 17. “People were so friendly. There were people who would like give us $100. People would come back multiple weekends and just keep giving. Or people would just give us full carts. They would shop and give us a whole cart of food. It was so awesome to see how nice people are.”
True to the club’s name, members wanted to interact with the community in a positive way, to do more than acknowledge problems, but to help solve them. After collecting two tons of cans, they now want to continue and help later in the year, when holiday giving dries up.
“We have a food drive in school and we thought, how can we get more cans?” said Lombardo, a senior. “We thought we would have a food drive at Nob Hill, where they are already there to buy food and they can just buy a can and drop it off and we’d donate it to St. Joseph’s. It’s just an easy way to donate. A lot of people want to donate but they don’t know how. If we give them the opportunity and an easy way to do it, they all want to.”
James Eichenbaum, 16, a junior, said the club has been a highlight of his time in school.
“Honestly, I think this is one of the issues that is important for the community,” he said.
“Interact has been helping out with a lot of international and community projects. But this is one of the things that had me really connecting to the community. I love getting to hang out with my friends and also helping out people and making a little bit of a difference.”
St. Joseph’s director David Cox said he was thrilled by the students’ enthusiasm and success.
“We need the younger generation involved, volunteering and rolling up their sleeves during drives like this and supporting us,” he said, eyeing a truckload of canned food. “We need to be proactive in reaching out to them and working with them so we can be more effective in attracting more support.”
How does he make it fun for kids who are otherwise so busy?
“I think it’s making sure they understand the impact they are having, that there is a lot of need in the community and this is keeping people sustained and healthy. It’s really truly making a difference.”
