Let's Go 'Cats! Join the HS Service Club in the Fight Against Food Insecurity

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The Janesville High School (JHS) Service Club is leading a massive five-week effort to fight food insecurity in Northeast Iowa! As part of the multi-school Student Food Drive competition for the Northeast Iowa Food Bank (NEIFB), the club is hosting multiple fundraisers and drives from Monday, October 6th, through Friday, November 7th.

This effort is critical, as over 45,000 people in Northeast Iowa, including more than 14,380 children, experience food insecurity. The club's fundraising goal is to collect food, money, and volunteer hours to support the NEIFB, a non-profit organization that acts as a storage and distribution depot for hunger-relief charities.

Three Key Fundraisers & Drives

The JHS Service Club has planned a variety of events to get students, staff, and the community involved. Here are the main ways you can help the 'Cats win the grand prize championship banner:

1. School-Wide Penny War

What: A school-wide fundraising contest where grades compete at the Elementary, Middle School, and High School levels.

When: The entire five weeks—Monday, October 6 to Friday, November 7, 2025.

How to Play: Place pennies in other grade levels’ containers as “bombs” to subtract one point from their score. Add silver coins and bills to your own grade's container for positive points (e.g., quarters are 25 points, dollars are 100 points).

Prize: The grade that raises the most money at each of the three levels (Elementary, MS, and HS) will win an ice cream party. Monetary donations are especially valuable because the Food Bank uses them to buy fresh produce, meat, milk, and eggs—items they cannot collect through traditional food drives.

2. Grade-Level Food Drive Competition

What: A friendly competition between grade levels to collect non-perishable food items for the NEIFB.

When: Monday, October 6 to Friday, November 7, 2025.

How to Earn Points: Each pound of food equals one point for the overall competition. For the grade-level contest, each good brought in is one point.

  • Thankful Thursdays: Bring in Thanksgiving/Christmas items like canned veggies, stuffing mix, pumpkin pie filling, or mashed potatoes on a "Thankful Thursday" to earn DOUBLE points for your grade.

  • What to Collect: Canned goods (tuna, soup, vegetables, etc.), dry pasta, cereal, and peanut butter/jelly.

  • What NOT to Collect: Rusted, dented, or unlabeled cans, anything homemade, or any perishable items.
    Prize: Three winning teams (one from each of the three school levels) will receive an ice cream party.

3. 'Float Your Boat' Fridays & Fan Food Drives

The Service Club has organized several exciting smaller events to boost point totals and spread awareness:

  • Float Your Boat Fridays: The Service Club will be selling Root Beer Floats, baked goods, and other treats during lunch on October 17, 24, 31, & November 7.

  • Home Event Fan Food Drives: Bring food to the following home events, where receptacles will be set up for a Fan Food Drive Competition:

    • October 7th: Home VB vs. Cedar Ridge Christian 

    • October 10th: Homecoming FB vs. Riceville 

  • Halloween Costume Contest: A fun way to support the cause! The entry fee is $3 with chances to win prizes.

  • Volunteer Drive: Students, staff, and community members are encouraged to volunteer at the NEIFB. Every hour volunteered between Oct. 6 and Nov. 7 earns one point for Janesville. You can sign up on the NEIFB website.

Help Us Win for Our Community!

By participating, you're helping Janesville compete for prizes ranging from $250 to $500 in categories like Most Food and Most Volunteer Hours.

The best part? Janesville CSD students will nominate and vote to select local charities, with the top three making the final selection. The Service Club is committed to giving students a voice and choice in where the funds go!

Let's rally behind the JHS Service Club to GROW, SERVE, and INSPIRE our community!