While students at Pine Creek rarely see it, food insecurity is a major concern in our community and in Colorado Springs. According to Pikes Peak United Way, around 12 percent of  families in El Paso County, or 105,094 people, struggle when it comes to figuring out how they will find their next meal. In an effort to do their part in the community, Pine Creek, in partnership with Care and Share, organizes an annual food drive called Harvest of Love.

Purpose & Impact

The Harvest of Love, a food and fund drive, organized in Colorado Springs by Care and Share Food Bank, encourages local schools and students to collect non-perishable food items and monetary donations to help fight hunger across Southern Colorado. The event raises awareness while encouraging community involvement and compassion. Each year, thousands of pounds of food and dollars are gathered to provide meals for families, children, and seniors in need.​​
In the past three weeks, there has been a buzz around spirit week, blacklight dodgeball, and the TopGolf night. While blacklight dodgeball got canceled due to a lack of participation, many students still participated by bringing food items. Breck Murphy (9) says that the spirit week and school events help to “influence people to, bring different money and cans based on their outfits,” or as admission to events.
Furthermore, the hard-working students of the student council gathered even more donations from the community surrounding Pine Creek. Canyon Cannell (12) said they “walked  through the neighborhood trying to collect more donations just to get as much [donations] as possible.” Members agree that these donations have been helpful in gathering enough food to make a dent in Colorado Springs food insecurity.

Even after learning about the great cause and impact of Harvest of Love, one might still be left wondering, why should I care? The answer simply put is that food insecurity could be impacting those you love, are friends with, or even just your classmates.
Santi Sauceda (11) says that he’s “personally known people who have gone food insecure and who have been hungry and have gone to school hungry.” He says that, “if [Harvest of Love] can do something about that, then it can just make a world of difference.”
Similarly, Enaya Chaudhry (10) says that she thinks the cause is important because the proceeds go “to a great cause, and knowing that so many people are willing to donate and so many people are willing to give [means that] a lot of people care about it.”

While the food drive is almost over, there are still many ways to give your food, money, and even time. Student Council members are especially eager to find even one extra dollar. Chaudhry explains how “$1.00 helps five children who need food.” As an added incentive for council members, the member with the least amount of donations will be pied in the face, so make sure to donate and save your friends.
On a more serious note, food insecurity is and will continue to be a problem even after Harvest of Love. Thus, one of the best ways to help continuously and give your time. Aiden McInny (11) who personally volunteers at Care and Share food banks says that Pine Creek as a school is “very privileged [with] the school we go to and some of the houses we live in.” He says that in his family volunteering has “been a staple to just try to give back what we can.”