Karey Gates, dean of students at Salisbury Elementary School, 422 School Lane, Gap, remembers how the school food drive held each December began four years ago. "It started when I was teaching sixth grade," recalled Gates, who noted she was working with a group of students to organize kindness outreaches. One of the students suggested a food drive, and the idea took off.

Now called the "12 Days of Christmas Food Drive," the effort kicks off when the students return to classes following the Thanksgiving break and continues for the next 12 school days. The collected items are delivered to The Factory Market at The Factory Ministries, 3293 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise, usually a few days prior to the start of the Christmas break.

This year, the results of the drive overwhelmed Kerri Burns, market and community engagement coordinator at The Factory. "It took two school bus vans to deliver all the (donations)," shared Burns, who said that the food items weighed in at 1,674 pounds. According to Gates, that total represented just under 1,500 items.

Gates noted that each year the drive is held, Burns provides an updated list of items the market needs. One item is listed for each day of the drive. This year's requests included Hamburger Helper, peanut butter, jelly, spaghetti sauce, canned pastas, canned soups, granola bars, canned fruit, cereal, ready-to-make macaroni and cheese, cake mixes, and hot chocolate mix.

A competition is held between the classes to see which group brings in the most items. This year, Nate Bushnell's third-grade class brought in just under 200 items to win the top prize, which included a special Brag Tag for each student to attach to his or her backpack.

Burns said that she was surprised by the number of donations this year, noting that the amount of food topped last year's total of 1,400 pounds. "It took a couple days to get the items on the shelves because it was significant," she stated. "Each year, it is amazing (how much is donated)." Burns pointed out that the donations are especially useful because the items are specifically requested for the market. "It was exactly what we need," she said.

Readers who would like to learn more about The Factory and its mission may visit https://thefactoryministries.com.