Homestead’s annual Canned Food Drive (CFD) is here with the same competitive nature, but a few new requirements. CFD is a school-wide competition where students donate food, clothing and other items to their third period class. The drive starts on Monday, Nov. 11.

“We needed to become more strict with the drive in order to give Sunnyvale Community Services what they needed,”  Activities Director Sara Frausto said.  

This year, all the items must be new and in their original packages and no glass items are allowed. Quality is emphasized over quality, there are larger standard sizes and the point system has become stricter, Frausto said.

“It’s a really great way to have campus involvement. [The drive] helps with our campus unity and our class unity,” senior Emily Holden said.

Holden has been a third period representative every year at HHS and thinks highly of the community involvement aspect of the CFD.

Another aspect of CFD is the competitive aspect.  The awards given out this year are “Most Generous Class,” which is the class with the most points and “Most Generous Students,” which is the class with the most points divided by the number of students in the class.   

“I love it [the competition]. I don’t know why more teachers won’t participate.  I love the competition. It makes the giving part of it really fun,” AP Literature teacher Liz Williams said.  

Williams has won Most Generous Students three times, out of her 20 years working at HHS.  

“I understand those who don’t think it should be competitive… but we make it fun,” Williams said.  She wants 100 teachers to compete this year in the drive.

All the items donated eventually go to Sunnyvale Community Services.  HHS is that largest contributor to SCS and breaks our records every year. This benefits students at HHS who go to SCS, Frausto said.

“[CFD is] a way to show your pride, while still having that competitive aspect, and helping a really important cause,” Holden said.