The MacArthur AVID program helps coordinate community donations

Monthly donation drives get MacArthur students and staff into the spirit of charity.

The Advancement Via Individual Determination, AVID, class has been coordinating monthly donation drives, encouraging charity among students and staff.  Each month MacArthur students and staff donate different items, depending on what the donation for the month is.  For the month of November, MacArthur donated non-perishable foods.  In October, MacArthur donated socks while September was the month of school supplies.

Associated Student Body, Peer Assisted Leadership, and AVID are partnered with the OC Rescue Mission that provides donations for homeless shelters.  Each month, the donations are taken to the shelter in hopes of helping those in need. AVID Teacher Mrs. Tammy Manske said,  “We have had food and book donations throughout the years but we got the opportunity to extend it this year.”

AVID makes donation drives like these to contribute to the community, which is a component of being in AVID.  By contributing to the community, AVID shows leadership. 

Sixth-grader Briza H. said, “I think the  AVID donation drive is a great way to contribute to the community.”  Briza plans on donating for the upcoming drive. 

Donations are collected in the Tiger Connection classes, which is the campus-wide seminar class each morning.  The donations are tabulated, and the seminar class with the most donations wins a monthly prize.

In the month of  September, 1,000 school supplies were donated and for October 700 pairs of socks were donated.  In September, Mrs. Manske’s class won the school supply drive.  In October, Language Arts Teacher Mrs. Ranithi Garcia’s class won the sock donation drive. 

Each class received treats and kept the community service trophy.  Overall, the food drive for the month of November has been the most successful donation drive so far.  According to Manske, both students and staff have donated more during November than the previous months. 

Manske said, “I’m so impressed with the MacArthur community for their giving spirit.”

MacArthur had the opportunity to have its first free farmers market.  The rest of the food that will remain will go to the OC rescue organization with the food from the donation drive said Manske. 

January will be toothpaste, toothbrushes, and floss.  The monthly donation drives will last until the end of the school year.  Each month we will be donating different things depending on the month’s donation. The winning classes will receive a treat and the community service trophy.