Although the Pleasant Valley Spartans suffered a tough loss to rival Bettendorf on Friday night, they achieved a win as well.
The popular fundraiser, “Fill The Truck”, was a competition between the two schools to see which could acquire more canned goods for the upcoming Student Hunger Drive. Pleasant Valley came out triumphant. Filling a Ford pickup truck’s flatbed with nonperishable items was the main task of the night, as well as collecting monetary donations.
By the end of the night, Spartan Assembly received a total donation amount of $814, all going to benefit the Student Hunger Drive. The Spartans also managed to fill the pickup truck’s entire bed, as well as the whole interior of the vehicle.
“It’s an awesome visual to kick off the Hunger Drive when hosted at a football game, especially at a Bettendorf v. PV game, because then it’s the whole community coming in and seeing the impacts they make,” Principal Mike Zimmer said.
Having two trucks side by side, filled to the top with cans, is just the beginning. An “impact” is the biggest thing Pleasant Valley is looking for this year in the Hunger Drive.
“The impact that events like Fill the Truck have for the Student Hunger Drive is beyond words,” Natalie Murphy, a junior on Spartan Assembly’s Executive Team, said. “This organization affects and helps so many people in our area and it is amazing to see the student body become so enthused about events like this.”
Although the teams may not get along on the field, Fill the Truck acts as a way for both groups to come together in benefiting a common goal. Spartan Assembly members have continued to count and weigh cans in the days following the success, with a running total of over 1,500 pounds even before the school kicks off its own Hunger Drive.
Spartan Assembly members handed out both sunglasses and temporary tattoos as door prizes at the game on Friday to those who brought five or 10 cans with them to the game. Parents, students and younger children were all involved.
“It’s great to support both our team and our community in one event,” Frontline member, Austin Halupnik said. “The sunglasses and the tattoos were great incentives and definitely helped bring in younger kids.”
Although the Student Hunger Drive is a nation-wide high school event, it is important to look at other parties, such as younger siblings and parents, that can help donate as well. Fill the Truck acts as a medium for all ages to contribute, and a good way to start off the drive right. With this just being the beginning of the Hunger Drive season, keep an eye out for more events supporting the Student Hunger Drive from now until November 6.
