On March 2, volunteers comprising students, families and teachers concluded the 13th annual Hempfield School District food drive. The volunteers collected boxes of goods totaling more than 6,000 pounds of food from multiple schools and administration buildings, and the food was then delivered to the Hempfield Area Food Pantry. As the needs of the community have grown over the years, so has the commitment of local residents to meet them.

Throughout the month of February, each school and participating faculty building gathered donations from staff members, students and families. Several classes of students organized competitions to see which group could collect the most donations, and teachers implemented incentives for those who participated. The food drive also enlisted the help of local businesses such as JK Mechanical, which has served as the event's primary sponsor for the last decade and offers its staff members and trucks to collect the donations each year.

The food drive began when Market Street Sports Group, a local advertising agency, was approached by one of its clients, which wished to organize an event at Rohrerstown Elementary School. The food drive grew each year, eventually encompassing every school in the district. While JK Mechanical participates in the drive by assisting with collection, Market Street Sports Group operates behind the scenes to grease the wheels of the event and serves as a conduit between the school district and the business community. "When the drive first began years ago, we never expected to be collecting over 6,000 pounds in one day," said Jason Jesberger, president of marketing at Market Street Sports Group. "I find it really special. Everyone gives, and I think it's going to continue to grow."

When the food drive began, it was held in the fall around Thanksgiving. Due to the amount of donations that Hempfield Area Food Pantry receives during the holidays, it requested that the date of the drive be moved to the spring, when it receives the fewest donations. The organizers of the drive elected to move it to February so that it would still occur during the school year and receive help from students. The change in date has benefited the food pantry greatly; this year, it received over 1,400 pounds of food more than last year from the drive.

The Hempfield Area Food Pantry is operated by several churches, businesses and other organizations in the area. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it served as a choice pantry, meaning that families would select their own items from the shelves after providing a form of identification. During the pandemic, the food pantry decided to stock fresh vegetables and other items, and now it prepares a box for each family to pick up at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Landisville. The food pantry feeds over 375 people each week and handled over 277,000 pounds of food last year.

"There's definitely a need in the community," said David Bleil, a volunteer at Hempfield Area Food Pantry. "We are so thankful that the district does (the food drive) and that the kids recognize this need and help out."