SULLIVAN, OHIO (Dec. XX, 2017) – For the first time this school year, Black River High School students who are a part of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) organization held a hygiene drive. The collected items will be kept in the school district in order to help students who attend Black River and may need these supplies.

The hygiene drive began on Dec. 5 and concluded on Dec. 15. To get the drive started, the FFA funded the purchase of several items. In the past, the FFA hosted a canned food drive during the holiday season, but the group decided to shift the focus to the student body this year who are in need of hygiene items.

“We wanted to put our schools first and collect products that will benefit Black River students for months to come,” said Christina Howard, FFA advisor and Black River agricultural education teacher. “The idea was to gather anything students might need to take care of themselves, like shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, soap and so forth.”

The drive was a great success, with over 230 items collected. The items will be itemized and stored in the FFA room. Whenever a student needs one of the products, they can fill out a simple request form and be able to anonymously pick up the items at their own discretion from the school office.

“Even though the hygiene drive only ran in the high school, the goal is to expand these drives in the future to all Black River students,” said Howard. “Eventually, we hope to have these items available in each of the buildings.”

During National FFA Week in February (Feb. 17-24, 2018), the student organization plans to have another hygiene drive for the middle and elementary schools.

“This is a great opportunity for our school community to come together and support one another,” said Superintendent Chris Clark. “Philanthropy should always start at home, and we are glad that the students involved in FFA are finding ways to be charitable for the sake of our schools.”

Congratulations to Mrs. Howard’s homeroom for collecting the most items. The FFA would like to thank all students and staff members that participated in making our school a better place and community. If parents or community members would still like to donate to the hygiene drive, please contact Christina Howard at 419.736.3303.