Community Food Drive Collects 3,000 Items

The Bourbon High School Community Food Drive collected more than 3,000 non-perishable food items, toiletries and cash donations on Saturday.

All items will be given to local food pantries.

BHS Principal Matt Peregoy said there are additional items yet to be collected, which should push the total higher.

More than 30 students and staffers spent the last two weekends distributing bags and collecting them, similar to the Scouting for Food Drive.

“When the Boy Scouts were unable to do their food drive this year, our students decided they wanted to step up and help replace that missing opportunity in our community,” said Peregoy, who has been involved with the scouts. “We recruited some community help we needed to make a success so we got to truly make it a team effort.”

The Bourbon Fire Protection District opened its station on Saturday for the collection. 

Volunteers spent the day sorting through the collection and boxing them up for delivery.

“I believe Bourbon is truly blessed to have the kind of students who want to make a difference for the better in their community,” Peregoy said. “Their willingness to take action humbles me and fills me with pride to be associated with them.”

The high school had assistance from Town & Country Supermarket, Town & Country Bank, the Ladies Fire Auxiliary and Dollar General, which provided crates to stack food in. 

Peregoy said a special thanks went to Cathy Boero, Jannel Boast and Valli Jo Ertl, who provided assistance and organization.

“I see this as quite a success for the community of Bourbon,” he said. “It’s not very often that an opportunity comes along to truly join as a team to help people in need. I believe that helping to feed those in need is one of the purest forms of caring. Not many charitable acts have as many immediate or valuable impact as the feeding of the hungry.”