Students hope to break food drive record

FOND DU LAC - Census numbers show more than 700,000 people in our state live in poverty.

To help combat that, a group at Fond du Lac High School is trying to organize a food drive it hopes might be of record proportions.

As the day's delivery comes in, workers at the Broken Bread Mission and Fondy Food Pantry know they can't serve the 350 people a month without it.

"They call us, we get the food ready in boxes. And they pick the food up," said Terry Hansen-Beno, Fondy Pantry food distribution coordinator.

Terry Hansen-Beno runs the Fondy Pantry.

"The top shelf, that only has a little bit of soup up there," said Hansen-Beno.

A record-setting food drive attempt comes as welcome news.

"We were excited about it, because I think it tells people that we are really in need of food, through all kinds of programs, and that will help stock our shelves," said Hansen-Beno.

Sixteen-year-old Danny Loomans is a junior at Fond du Lac High School. Food for Freedom is his project.

"The goal of this world record food drive event is to raise 559,885 pounds of food," said Danny Loomans, Food for Freedom event coordinator.

Loomans hopes to organize food drives in five counties  where census numbers show 82,047 people live in poverty.

On May 25-26, Fond du Lac High School will be the official drop-off site.

"Any business or other organization, it is ok for them to collect before that date. It has to come to us during the 24-hour period, and that's when it has to be weighed," said Loomans.

Loomans says he knows the food drive is a tall order.

"I have no doubt in my mind, no doubt at all that Food for Freedom is going to be successful. Whether we break this world record or not, because we're going to make an impact on our own people," said Loomans.

"The enthusiasm he has for helping others, incredibly that he can rally people and get them to be part of a cause that's going to affect a lot of people in a good way," said Hansen-Beno.

The group wants to break the current one-day food drive record of 558,885 pounds of food set by a North Carolina school two years ago.