Continuing its annual tradition, Seniors of Merit at Work (SMW) hosted a schoolwide food drive the week before Thanksgiving Break to encourage students and staff to support their wider community.

Beginning in Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) in 1932 during the Great Depression, the Food Drive has long supported families in need in the wider Arcadia community. Currently, SMW works with Arcadia High School’s (AHS) Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) and the Foothill Unity Center to uphold the 89-year tradition of running the drive, which aligns with SMW’s commitment to serving the community with shared values of citizenship, service, integrity, and scholarship.

According to SMW Food Drive Chairs seniors Elva Kith and Wayne Chan, running the drive involved many “moving parts,” including advertising and alerting donors of the most needed items to donate, distributing collection boxes, collecting food from the boxes, and distributing donations to needy families – all in time for the holidays.

“As one of the chairs, I hope the SMW members that took part in this will see that their small part in this event will really help brighten up someone’s day in the future when the supplies are delivered,” Kith and Chan said. “Since this drive is specifically for Thanksgiving, it will hopefully bring everyone together and [allow us] realize how lucky we are to have the lives we have today.”

This year, with no imminent end to the pandemic in sight, urgency for donation and distribution from the Foothill Unity Center was further compounded.

“The number of people accessing their services, foods, and household items has almost tripled since the pandemic,” said the Food Drive Chairs. “We are relying on the helping hands of our Arcadia High School students and staff to show their kindness to those in need.”

The pandemic has also impacted SMW activities themselves; although SMW has returned to hosting in-person events this year, such as the Food Drive, COVID-19 barred members from doing anything in person last year. Although the return to in-person school and activities this year has caused events to “almost feel a bit normal” now, according to Kith and Chan, SMW has continued to adapt to the ever-changing issues presented by the pandemic – certain events have curbed member attendance due to limited capacity or vaccination requirements for the safety of all involved.

Despite these restrictions, however, SMW plans to continue to serve the school and the Arcadia community over the course of the school year by hosting more activities, including the annual Blood Drive in January in cooperation with the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center, the Winter Wonderland event at Hugo Reid, and the Charity Dance Show presented by AHS Orchesis. 

“The mission and purpose of our organization is one of commitment to service,” Kith said. “We are thankful to be able to be back and do what we do best – helping others in our community and in our district.”

Photo courtesy of SMW