Students help fight hunger with food drive Ocean Township High School students recently collected 510 pounds of food for hunger relief. The high school's Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapter sponsored a "Food for Food" drive, where students brought in cans of food in return for a snack, juice or bottle of water free of charge. Not having enough food to feed their families on a daily basis is a concern for many families. The reality is that being hungry is not just an issue in distant Third World countries; hunger exists in our own communities. Many families in Monmouth and Ocean counties struggle to afford one decent meal to put on the table each night. Hunger is a very real, but very manageable situation in our area and can be addressed with a consolidated effort from the community. Early this year, New Jersey Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) challenged its nearly 5,000 members to raise money and food to support their local food banks during FCCLA Week (Feb. 11-17). NJ FCCLA members develop, plan, carry out, and evaluate projects to improve the quality of life in their communities. On Feb. 21, 14 members of the high school's FCCLA chapter and their adviser Mrs. Nancy Di Lauro went to the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties in Neptune to help sort and package food for distribution. The members also toured the facility and learned that food donations are most needed during the summer season, when children are out of school and are no longer receiving one or two full meals during the school day. Upon learning this, OTHS/FCCLA members decided to organize another food drive in June to support the seasonal needs of these local families. Ocean Township FCCLA would like to thank the students, teachers and staff of Ocean Township High School for their generous support of the "Food for Food" drive.