Leechburg Area students take a stand against food insecurity

Leechburg Area seniors Nick Sherbondy and Ava Ferretti have certainly been keeping busy.

After packing meals during a Rise Against Hunger event hosted by a group of Methodist churches in the Alle-Kiski Valley, the pair were inspired to keep the good deeds going.

Sherbondy and Ferretti decided to host another Rise Against Hunger event through the school district, in an effort to reach all Leechburg Area schools and the community beyond.

To host the event, $4,100 was needed, Ferretti said, as Rise Against Hunger requires a minimum order of 10,000 meals, with each meal costing 41 cents.

“For larger schools, maybe ($4,100) seems like a small amount, but for a small school with high poverty rates like Leechburg, that’s an enormous amount,” she said.

Ferretti and Sherbondy, both 18, are president and vice president, respectively, of the school’s community service club Interact and the National Honor Society.

“We started thinking of every single fundraiser we could do,” Ferretti said.

With the combined manpower of both clubs, the students hosted a total of five fundraisers throughout the school year. Events included a tag day; a hoagie sale; Change Wars; a teachers’ casual week; and the most successful of the events, a spirit T-shirt sale.

Community members and high school, middle school and elementary school students participated in the T-shirt sale, raising $1,200.

Sherbondy said the experience taught him to surround himself with people who have the same level of work ethic as he does.

“It’s very difficult to motivate people who don’t want to be a part of what you’re trying to do,” Sherbondy said.

Ferretti said the experience taught her to have drive and passion even when a goal seems out of reach.

“If you work hard and you have that dedication, you can achieve,” she said. “You just have to really want it and know that it’s going to take hard work, and know that it’s going to take time, but you’ll get there.”

Through the fundraisers and donations from the Leechburg Lions Club and the Leechburg Hungarian Club, students raised nearly $4,400.

“I’m not surprised,” said NHS sponsor and Leechburg Area High School teacher, Tricia Shank. “Ava and Nick, when they set their minds to something, it gets done and it gets done well. … I’m very proud of them.”

Sherbondy, Ferretti and their classmates spent Saturday morning packing 10,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger in the high school cafeteria.

Ferretti and Sherbondy dedicated $4,100 to Rise Against Hunger and the rest of the money will be donated to the district’s Path program, through which meals for the weekend are packed for Leechburg Area students experiencing food insecurity.