Clovis East Area Donates 35,000 items to Food Bank

Clovis East High School staff loads canned goods and food donations onto a crate for their annual Winter Food Drive on Thursday, Dec. 16. (Courtesy of Clovis East High School)

A police-escorted convoy delivered food items collected by students and staff of the Clovis East High School Area to the Central California Food Bank on Thursday, Dec. 16.

The area is made up of Clovis East High School, Reyburn Intermediate, Boris, Fancher Creek, Freedom, Miramonte, Oraze, Reagan, Temperance-Kutner and Young elementary schools.

The annual winter food drive has broken record after record throughout the years. This year looks to be no different with over 35,000 items donated. This includes flats of canned soups, bottles of water, bins of dried beans, boxes of cereals and more.

The “Clovis East Area Convoy” included eight staff members driving their pickup trucks and a Fresno County Rural Transit filled with the donations. The person driving the transit will be from the company Build Your Dreams (BYD USA).

The convoy had four motorcade escorts from the Fresno Police Department guiding them as they made their way to the Food Bank.

Event organizer and Clovis East teacher Jamie Arredondo explained the importance of this annual drive from all schools within the area.

“It’s amazing to see the generosity year in and year out,” Arredondo said. “We hope it establishes a strong tradition of giving in our community.”

Central California Food Bank Marketing and Communications Manager Robin Allen-Maddox expressed his gratitude for the school area’s efforts.

“The efforts of Clovis East and their amazing students never ceases to amaze us,” Allen-Maddox said. “We are thankful for the vast array of items that we can turn around and distribute to our neighbors in need. Beyond the food, we are thankful for the spirit of giving that is instilled in these students through this food drive.”

A portion of the donations will be used to assist families within the Clovis East Area who look for support from the Clovis Unified Transition Team.

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