RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN - Sheriff’s school resource officers teamed up with Rutherford County Schools’ teachers, administrators and students to fight hunger. The teams collected more than 12,000 cans and other types of food at seven schools to provide food to students and community residents in the county, Murfreesboro, Smyrna and LaVergne during a recent food drive.
SRO Sgt. John Acton said some of the food was donated to the Rutherford County Schools’ Atlas program. “The Atlas program is for homeless students who may not have enough food to eat at home,” Acton said.
Collections will continue through December at some schools to help Atlas students and families for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. “We wanted to help the communities where the schools are located,” Acton said.
The SROs thank everyone who contributed to help the students and the communities have sufficient food.
SRO Jamey Hurst of Thurman Francis Arts Academy already helped to collect more than 200 cans of food that was donated by students, as part of the SRO food drive. The food collected at Thurman Francis will be donated to the community to further fight hunger in Rutherford County.
Here are more results of the food collections:
• Roy Waldron Schools: SRO William Victor said students from pre-k through 5th grade contributed 734 items of food donated to the La Vergne United Methodist Church Food Bank.
• Rockvale Middle School: SRO Barry Jones said students collected 2,072 cans of food. They donated the food to Rockvale High School whose students are making food boxes for homeless people during the holidays.
• Rockvale High School: SRO Joseph Rigsby said about 3,000 cans were collected at the High School and Middle School.
• Lascassas Elementary School: SRO Chad Dodson said kindergarten and 1st grade students collected 3,003 food items. The top class with the most donations sprayed Principal Randy Uptain and Dodson with Silly String. The student with the most donations received lunch from a restaurant. The food was donated to the Lascassas Giving Box.
• Rocky Fork Elementary School: SRO Summer Higgins said students collected 454 cans of food. Higgins delivered the food to Nourish Food Bank in Smyrna.A
• Siegel High School: SRO Austin Wortman said students collected 2,000 cans of food. The food was donated to Nourish Food Bank.
• Christiana Elementary School: SRO Edwin Fitzgerald said students collected 3,000 food items. The food will be donated to the Atlas program.
YOU CAN HELP: SROs are still collecting food for the Atlas program so students will have sufficient food during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. People may donate food by giving any food items to the school SRO.
Since the students receiving the food may not have kitchens to prepare meals, Atlas requests single servings that do not need refrigeration.
Items Needed Include:
• Cereal (0.75 oz.)
• Cereal BarsA
• Chicken or Tuna (canned pop-top or vacuum-packed)
• Cookies
• Fruit snacks
• Granola bars
• Juice Boxes (6.75 oz.)
• Microwavable macaroni and cheese
• Pastas/ complete meals
• Peanut butter crackers and cheese crackers
• Peanut butter
• Peanuts
• Pop Tarts
• Pop-top, microwavable containers of beef and macaroni, beef stew, beans and franks, spaghetti and meatballs, chili with beans, etc. (7.5 oz) Chef Boyardee, Hormel Compleats meals
• Rice Krispy Treats
• Snack cracker packages
• Trail mix packages
• Cans of soup or microwavable mini cups of soup
• Rice A Roni Cups
• Beef Jerky
