ARLINGTON — Arlington High School’s DECA students took over three grocery stores Dec. 12-13 to set records for their 21st annual “Santa’s Helpers” collection drive.
In addition to working at the Arlington Safeway, the students collected donations of food and money at the Smokey Point Safeway, as well as the Arlington Walmart.
Their most recent count showed they’d collected 22,938 food items and $8,307.19 in monetary donations, which AHS DECA President Edward Radion reported was well in excess of the drive’s previous record of 17,900 items.
Radion touted the roles played by all of DECA’s nearly 150 students, from collecting donations at stores to sorting out the items during the week of classes that’s followed.
“Everyone has played a part,” Radion said. “This has been a huge group effort, and it’s very laborious.”
Indeed, AHS Marketing and DECA teacher Tyler Payne estimated that his students will have invested at least 3,500 hours of labor sorting through donations by the time the week is done.
The donations will help feed Christmas dinners to 34 families whose names the students received from the Arlington Community Food Bank. Any excess will go to the food bank itself.
In the three years that he’s taken part in the drive, Radion has learned the value of teamwork, and the relative scarcity of resources that he and his peers could otherwise take for granted.
“It takes leadership for this to happen, but on the part of every single person,” Radion said. “We all have to step up. And as we’ve gotten to know the families who benefit from these drives, I’ve learned how many people in the community can’t afford Christmas on their own.”
Payne noted that all of the financial donations the students received came from individuals in the community, rather than businesses or groups.
“I can’t say enough about Arlington’s generosity,” Payne said. “This community’s heart is just huge, and it’s greatly appreciated.”
In addition to the current DECA students, Payne even called upon alumni of the program to help sort donations.
“It’s just been a monster of a campaign,” Payne said. “It’s an amazing gift of time that these students and alums have given.”
