On Nov. 26, 2024, Community High School met at St. Andrews Episcopal Church for the final ceremony of their yearly Food Gatherers fundraiser. Since 2009, CHS has been a loyal contributor to the food bank, consistently raising more annual funds than any other school in Ann Arbor.
Each fall, the students and staff launch a friendly competition, with every forum setting individual goals and racing to raise money in creative ways. The entire high school aimed to pool $70,000 by the end of the campaign, right before Thanksgiving Break. Once the final sum of money was raised, the Harold and Kay Peplau Family Fund promised to match the donations dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000, as they have done in years past.
During the final ceremony, awards are given out, not only to forums as a whole but also individuals who deserve recognition for their honorable efforts towards the cause.
The fundraising awards go to the forum that raises the most money, the student that collects the most individual donations, the most creative fundraising method and the person with the most commitment and awareness to the cause. The individual winners are given Zingerman’s gift cards, and the winning forum celebrates with a party.
This year the Whiteside Forum raised the most money, reaching a grand total of $14,116. The Whiteside forum took a unique approach to their fundraising, choosing to start planning for Food Gatherers right as the school year started. This way, they were able to kickstart their first fundraising opportunity the opening weekend of the challenge and lap the other forums. Jessika Whitside, the leader of the Whiteside forum, noted that her students were incredibly self-driven, which she feels contributed to their success.
“It was like 98% student-led, maybe higher,” Whiteside said. “I helped people problem-solve and helped with moving things and, you know, sort of logistic stuff, but everything else was their dreams and plans.”
The student that collected the most individual donations this year was freshman Thomas Radesky. Radesky represented the Vial Forum by helping to put together a fundraising fashion show. Being the main organizer of the event, the total donations from the show came in under his name. Working so hard for his forum required a great deal of motivation, which Resdesky found in the promise of having a positive impact on his community.
“Honestly, without all my clothing donations from my home, there wouldn’t have been a fashion show,” Radesky said. “I like making things that are tangible—it’s hard to explain, but I really enjoy knowing that I’m making a difference.”
Margot Solomon, a freshman in the Root Forum, won the award for the most creative fundraising method. Solomon raised roughly $200 for Food Gatherers by selling hats she makes from scratch with a knitting machine. Solomon has been knitting hats for several years and has sold them in the past.
“I did it as a fundraiser for a school field trip in seventh grade, and that was really successful,” Solomon said. “We raised a lot of money then, and I thought it would be a good idea to try it again this year.”
Finally, the Commitment and Awareness Award went to Neila Shee, who was entering her third year of fundraising for the Whiteside Forum. Shee noticed that her dedication to helping those around her skyrocketed after she invested time into her personal well-being.
“I think I’m in a good place mentally this year, which gave me the ability to push myself further,” Shee said.
This year, she helped her forum organize a pop-up thrift event with live music and other festivities.
“I did all the phone calls and I had people volunteer for things,” Shee said. “I baked goods, and I helped organize all sorts of things, and we ended up raising $1,400 in five hours, which was fantastic.”
All in all, Community High School collected $87,633, with a few final donations trickling in in the following days. This is the most ambitious amount of money that CHS students and staff have ever managed to raise, and the applause that bounced off the walls throughout the ceremony served as a true testament to the program’s success.
