Throughout the 2013-2014 school year, Hawthorne High School’s SHARE club, run by teacher and coach Christopher Ward, is collecting non-perishable food goods for the YMCA of Paterson.

Items for the SHARE Food Drive can be dropped off by students in Room 220. Anyone from the community can also donate and bring donations to the Parmelee Avenue entrance of Hawthorne High School.

Every third Friday of the month during the school year, the club brings the donated nonperishable items, such as canned vegetables, canned soups, and hard pastas, to the YMCA. These items are used to assist those in need and are distributed throughout the community via the YMCA. The club has decided to support the YMCA with these food donations because the state funding to this organization has been reduced since Superstorm Sandy.

“We really want to get the whole school involved with the donation because most of us here at HHS are fortunate enough to have a meal on the table while others are not. SHARE [stands for] Students of Hawthorne Acting Responsibly and Effectively, and that title isn’t just for members of the club, but for the school as a whole,” said SHARE chair member and sophomore Leah Matari.

The SHARE club has been helping people since its inception in 1986, and, according to Ward, “Students of HHS have always been enthusiastic and extremely genuine.”