The Interact Club’s Annual Turkey Drive
Thanksgiving is a fantastic time of the year, where you can sit down and enjoy a huge feast with the people you love. The biggest star of this feast is, of course, the turkey. However, not every family can afford to have a turkey, let alone the entire feast. That is where the Interact club comes in. The Interact club in West is a club dedicated to fundraising for charity. For Thanksgiving, they run a turkey drive where they gain money through fundraising, and purchase turkeys and $25 gift cards to give to those in need.
Social studies teacher Ms. Lizlevatn leads this generous fundraiser. When asked about the success of this year’s drive, she said, “This year was one of our better years. However, I think we can do better. We donated about 125 turkeys and 125 $25 gift cards. As good as that sounds, if we find better ways to fundraise, we can have a bigger impact.” Later, when asked about how they are planning to increase the success next year, she stated, “Well, for one we are switching to a new turkey vendor, in which we can get the turkeys cheaper and therefore buy more. Also, we are planning on ‘advertising’ more so that we can attract more people to donate.” This year’s turkey drive was not only successful in donating gift cards and turkeys, but also in bringing together the High School West community for a good cause. Ms. Lizlevatn said, “I love running this club because I can work with my students to improve the community. It truly makes a difference.”
The students also enjoy being part of this club especially the turkey drive. Chelsea Parks commented, “Being part of this club is an amazing experience. I love being able to work together with my friends and teachers to help others who are in need. This turkey drive is an amazing way to provide the less fortunate with things that we all take for granted.” Nisha Palla, another student member of the interact club said, “As opposed to most fundraisers which raise money for the cause, we are actually putting food on the plates of those in need. It is an extremely remarkable experience.”
This year’s turkey drive was a success for the community and those in need. However, the Interact club looks to improve next year with better ways to reach out to the HHW community. Now everyone can enjoy their Thanksgiving knowing that because of the dedication and hard work of the Interact club, they helped others who normally don’t get the luxury of a delicious turkey on the greatest feast of the year.
