FSHS drama students gathering food for needy children

A group of students involved in the drama program at Fort Scott High School won't be acting when they work to help feed needy children this week.

About 40-50 FSHS students will team up on Friday to participate in the 2009 Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat food drive, the International Thespian Society's annual nationwide community service initiative to collect food for the hungry. The FSHS program became involved with the International Thespian Society and the food drive last year, according to Patty LaRoche, the speech and drama teacher at FSHS.

From 3:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, students will be grouped into pairs and traveling door-to-door throughout Fort Scott to collect canned food items from local residents. Each pair of students will be assigned a different portion of town to cover during the food drive, LaRoche said.

All food items collected will be weighed and delivered to The Beacon, a local food pantry and community assistance agency that helps low-income families in Bourbon County, she said.

With the help of more than 300 thespian troupes, more than 308,000 pounds of food were collected during last year's nationwide food drive. Donations were delivered to local organizations that need them the most, according to the ITS, a division of the Educational Theatre Association.

This year, groups across the country will attempt to reach a goal of 325,000 pounds of food collected, an ITS statement said.

According to Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States, at least 10 percent of the children in each state, or 12 million children nationwide, suffer from hunger. Hunger affects many communities; nearly 12 percent of rural households and 9 percent of suburban families struggle with food insecurity.