Vestal, NY (WBNG Binghamton) It was the battle of the cans between Vestal and Binghamton High Schools.
Each school had two weeks to collect as many canned foods as possible. All of those items are now headed to the Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW).
“It really couldn’t come at a better time,” said Mike Leahey, director of CHOW. “We’re coming up on the holidays and a very long school break where a lot of students who stuffer with food insecurity — they’ll be at home without the breakfast and lunch the schools provides so this is going to directly affect them.”
Vestal won the competition by collecting more than 1,900 cans with around 3,500 food items collected between both schools.
“For me personally, what makes it all worth while is that it’s staying in the community,” said Nathan Grossman, a senior at Vestal High School. “I think it’s great that we can know it in our hearts that it can stay in the area and it’s going to improve the lives of the people in Binghamton.”
All of the food was loaded up on a truck on Tuesday and delivered to CHOW. It will then be distributed to the 60 CHOW programs in Broome County