For seven consecutive years, Bullis has conducted a Cereal Drive in April to benefit Manna Food Center, the primary food bank in Montgomery County. Each year, Manna distributes close to 500,000 pounds of food to non-profit organizations and needy citizens in Montgomery County.
Jackie DeCarlo, director of Manna Food, kicked off the drive at an all-school assembly on April 7. She explained that one in three children in Montgomery County do not know where his/her next meal will come from, a startling fact that drives home the importance of supporting Manna. The cereal boxes Bullis donates are part of Manna’s Smart Sacks program which are provided to more than 2,000 elementary school children food on Friday so they have food on the weekend when there are no school meals to sustain them.
The Bullis community comes together each year for the drive, and the Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society helps to count and organize the boxes for pick-up. The 4th grade loads the truck each year, and this year’s count brings to 10,000 the number of total boxes donated by Bullis to Manna since the drive began.
As part of the effort, one day during the drive is Rice and Beans Day in the Bullis Dining Hall. Instead of the regular full range of lunch options, the Dining Hall only serves rice and beans, to remind students of the scarcity of food for so many people in our area and around the world. The money saved—$800 this year—was also donated to Manna.
April 24, 2014