On Nov. 6, 2025, Pleasant Valley was announced as the Division A winner of the River Bend Student Hunger Drive, continuing their winning streak of 8 years. PV collected 102,619 pounds of food, totaling up to 273,534 meals.
In addition, there were 16 Quad City schools that raised 926,393 meals, 139,207 more than last year. In all, there were a record-breaking 3,038,599 meals raised.
Donations to the food pantry are especially crucial this year because of the temporary suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) due to the recent government shutdown. The Spartan Shield recently reported that 12% of Americans rely on SNAP for food benefits. Collecting a record-breaking number of meals could not have come at a better time. “I felt so proud that we were able to achieve such a big number of meals,” said Spartan Assembly member Maeli Sanchez.
PV was able to make an immediate impact on the Quad City community. A total of 104,850 people in the Quad City area are supported by the donations PV collected for the River Bend Food Bank. Not only did PV students help members of their community, but they also learned about how the food bank operates. “We had a meeting with a woman that worked with the food bank at the start of the hunger drive, and she taught us about how the food bank works and why it is important,” said Maeli.
The key takeaway of the experience was learning gratitude. Many PV students are very fortunate, so being involved in an experience like this teaches many students to not take things for granted. Serving others allows people to develop empathy and understand the experiences of those who are not as fortunate.
In addition, PV is working on adding a food pantry to the high school. This would be accessible to students and their families. “A school food pantry can help students who are more fortunate appreciate what they have by showing them that not everyone has enough to eat,” said PV staff Melissa Dockery.
Overall, the schools that participated didn’t just succeed in the student hunger drive contest; they succeeded in strengthening the community. Every school that participated in the River Bend Student Hunger Drive played a meaningful role in supporting the people around them.
