ROSEBURG, Ore. (KMTR) -- Fremont Middle School's annual "Stuff the Bus" food drive is always very successful, but teachers at the school weren't sure whether students realized the burdens of hunger that affect so many families in the community.
That's why there was a special field trip Friday, at the UCAN food bank in Roseburg. Two students from each class were chosen to visit the pantry, and on Monday, they're to report back to their classes, all that they've learned about hunger in Douglas County.
There were 37 kids on the field trip, and many of them were surprised to hear the facts.
"There's a lot of kids in just Douglas County and Roseburg, that are homeless and have to come here," said Teylor Steele, an eighth grader at Fremont. "For all you know, you could have a peer that is going hungry, and you wouldn't even know," she added.
Sixth grader, Stephen Lake, gained a new perspective into his own life after visiting the food bank, saying, "I'm complaining about not being able to, not being able to have dessert and stuff, and then there's these people living on the streets, starving." The field trip made him realize, "There's a lot of people that need our help."
Forty-percent of the people UCAN serves are children, and in Douglas County alone, there are 482 homeless children. These facts about hunger affecting their peers, gave the students some serious insight into just how many people in the community are suffering from hunger.
Fremont's annual "Stuff the Bus" drive kicks off the Monday after Thanksgiving, and will run through December 14th. Teachers hope, with this new insight, more students will understand the real importance of behind the food drive, and just how many people they're helping when they donate food.
