Before heading off to Thanksgiving Break, Broomfield High School completed the annual canned food drive in association with Broomfield FISH, a nonprofit that assists residents in need throughout Broomfield. The goal for donations set by Student Council was 20,000 cans, and though there are still donations being counted, the total number of cans brought in has surpassed the goal. So far, the count is at 26,845 donations, which are made up of a mix of cans, cash, and online contributions.

Along with the competition to beat that goal as a school, each teacher competed to see who could bring in the most donations. Every teacher’s third-period class donations are what contributed to the race. The teacher with the most cans brought in was Mr. Hindman.

“It’s about being a part of something bigger than yourselves and actively participating in society,” Hindman said.

Mr. Hindman likes to prompt his students with the idea of donating to the can drive early; he believes it is important to help the community, along with building a stronger community in the classroom. Hindman pairs the importance of helping others with rewards for the class to fully motivate students to bring as many cans or donations as possible: “I advertise some things that might be helpful for their grades or things they might enjoy doing in class,” said Hindman.

By passing the original goal, the high school was rewarded with a visit from the Sweet Cow Ice Cream truck on December 2. Lots of students showed up to the senior lot to grab some ice cream. Cole Austin (12) stopped by after school to get a scoop and shared why he donated to the can drive. Austin said, “ I wanted to give back to the community that’s given so much to me.”

The head of the can drive in Student Council, Grace Li (12), is delighted by the amount of donations. Li said that Student Council is “so appreciative of everyone’s participation, and [they] are so happy to be able to help feed families over the holidays.”