Marion L. Steele High’s EcoLeague holding food drive in February

The Marion L. Steele High School EcoLeague, a club for students focused on the environment, is hosting a food drive during February.

The third annual drive is one of the group’s community outreach efforts, said Angie DeLeon, advisor and Steele High science teacher.

All of the items donated will be given to Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, DeLeon said.

“What we do, is we ask local businesses and restaurants to help us by placing a collection bin in their establishments throughout the month of February,” she said. “If they fill up partway through the month, we go and collect the food, and we drop it off at Second Harvest.”

Drop-off locations for this year include Amherst Police Department, Kiedrowski’s Simply Delicious Bakery, Lorain Estates Senior Living, 1907 Assisted Living at Central School, ESP Brewing Co. and Amherst Public Library, DeLeon said.

The first year of the drive, roughly 1,700 items were collected, and last year around 2,500 items were collected, she said.

“Every year, we’ve gotten more food collected, and our goal is to reach 3,000 items this year,” DeLeon said. “And obviously, we can’t do it without the support of these businesses and community who have been really amazing the past two years.”

Among items needed are baby formula, pasta, peanut butter and cans with tabs to open.

Without businesses and organizations support, the drive would not be successful, she said.

“The past two years, we have just been overwhelmingly amazed,” DeLeon said. “We’re just so excited and positively overwhelmed with the community’s support.”

There are several main focuses to EcoLeague, including education and issues concerning the environment, DeLeon said.

The organization hopes to raise awareness among students in junior high and elementary schools, she said.

“Education is a big part of what we do,” DeLeon said. “Things like food awareness, food scarcity awareness, climate change, recycling — what is recyclable, what’s not recyclable.”

The Steele High EcoLeague even received silver in the E4 Program, sponsored by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, she said.

The program recognizes K-12 schools’ achievements in environmental stewardship and educating students on environmental topics, according to the EPA.

“We’re an award-winning school when it comes to the environment, and that’s due to the efforts, of not only EcoLeague, but the entire building,” DeLeon said.