Members of the Octorara Junior-Senior High School field hockey team began and ended their season with a food drive to benefit the Octorara Area Food Cupboard (OAFC).

The first drive was held this past summer and the most recent effort took place on Oct. 29, when the student-athletes were on hand to collect food from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Dutch-Way Farm Market in Gap.

During the food drive, shoppers were offered a list of needed items when they entered the store, and they were invited to drop off their donations as they exited. The list of wanted items include boxed potatoes, rice and noodle side dishes; hearty soups; sauerkraut; and boxed macaroni and cheese. The team members also collected cash donations.

The girls were accompanied by parent volunteers Jenny Alexander and Ashley Destephano, members of the Octorara Field Hockey Boosters Club.

"We did a (food drive) before the season started; the food cupboard was in great need and when we heard they were in great need again, we said, 'Let's help them with that,'" said Alexander. "When we did the first (food drive) in July, we broke the food cupboard's record of the most pounds of food collected at a one-day food drive and the most cash collected." The record numbers were 1,570 pounds of food and $275. For the food drive on Oct. 29, the team members collected 784 pounds of food and $176.

The food cupboard had a trailer on-site, in which the girls placed the donations. "We are filling up the trailer and they will come and get it," Alexander noted.

Represented at the event were high school students and Octorara eighth-graders. "It's nice for the younger girls to get to know the varsity team," noted Alexander. "They can form friendships."

Although they have not visited the pantry in person, the girls said they were familiar with the charity. "It's hard to put into perspective what you have and what others don't," said Sydney Simonds. "Jenny was showing us pictures of empty shelves and it affected me. It was sad."

"Recently the food cupboard has been pretty bare," added Cecily Page. "Since the holidays are coming up, it's important to give to those who don't have as much as others."

The Octorara Area School District is also holding a fall food drive for the OAFC through Friday, Nov. 11. Students in kindergarten through grade six in the Octorara Primary Learning Center are asked to place their donations in the classroom boxes, and students in grades seven to 12 are asked to place items on the designated tables at the high school. Items may also be dropped off in either of the schools' main offices.

The OAFC is currently in need of other groups willing to conduct food drives. For more information, call 610-857-4000 or visit http://www.facebook.com/OctoraraAreaFoodCupboard or http://www.octfood.com. More information about the field hockey team is available at http://www.facebook.com/octorarafieldhockey.