Helping stock the shelves at God's Marketplace Food Pantry are (clockwise from left) Darius Jones, Traverius Mahoney, Troy Allen, Robert Wade Bowick, Rich Seibert, Kcdjo Awumee, Miles Chafin,Qwantavious Lee, Isiah Cullars, (front) Micah Young, and Tyrell Cullars. Learning to reach out to those in need, Washington-Wilkes Elementary School students collected more than 1,500 food items to donate to God's Marketplace Inc.'s food pantry.

During the month of November students in Pre-K, fourth, and fifth grades took home a list of canned goods, staples, and other necessities, and brought in items on the list.

"Students learned the importance of reaching out to those in need," said Janet Pharr, "and they all worked together to make this year's canned food drive one of the most successful ever."

The classes held a school-wide competition to see which could collect the most food items, and a pictograph was displayed in the hallway so each class could monitor its progress.

The class with the most items, Mrs. Cowan's class, collected a total of 254 items and earned ice cream with lunch last week.

Under the direction of Rich Seibert of God's Marketplace, students also helped stock the shelves at the food pantry before the Thanksgiving holiday, including Darius Jones, Traverius Mahoney, Troy Allen, Robert Wade Bowick, Kcdjo Awumee, Miles Chafin, Qwantavious Lee, Isiah Cullars, Micah Young, and Tyrell Cullars.