Each year, Mountlake Terrace high school has participated in the annual Pursuit of the Power Plunger food drive, which benefits the Mountlake Terrace Food Bank during the holidays. Along with that, the MTHS Associated Student Body plans an assembly to inspire students to donate and to increase our chances of collecting more cans than our rivals, Lynnwood high schools Royals.

But this year, MTHS came up extremely short. There are hundreds of people in Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood that don’t receive the right amount of food due to insufficient funds. So why can’t each person bring in a can? Every year, thousands of pounds of garbage are tossed away to rot while thousands of people go hungry. Just at MTHS alone, I can pick out full sandwiches and whole fruit that have been tossed away in the garbage. Personally, I’m not swimming in money, but when we have the annual food drive I donate every time.

Canned food is one of the cheapest foods to buy—canned peas go for 89 cents—so why can’t you fork up maybe 2 dollars? People in America are, in my opinion, extremely selfish: they turn their noses up at good causes such as food drives. Especially in this economy, people need all the help they can get in supporting their families or themselves. I know when I donate food toward the food drive, I am giving someone dinner that night or donating towards a Christmas meal. For years, MTHS has been trying to bring unity to the school, trying to show that good deeds pay off and that we’re a community.

But, as I walk through the halls, I see that nothing that the administration says is getting through to the students. Students are still going to throw away food, and we are still going to lose against Lynnwood during the food drive each year. I’m not afraid to say it: Lynnwood has a better school community than MTHS ever will. So next year, MTHS, let’s bring in a lot of cans; it helps our community.