Students with the Atlantic High School will be scattered throughout the community today (Wednesday), volunteering their time to help spruce-up the town and at the same time, help out the Atlantic Food Pantry. AHS Principal Heather McKay says the “Service Learning Day” is held every other year, opposite of “Career Day,” but this is the first time the event has been held in the fall. She says the project started many years ago, and began with former AHS Principal Roger Herring. McKay says it’s an opportunity for the kids to give back to the community.

The event is normally held in late April, but bad weather, conflicts in scheduling and a demonstrated need by residents in the community for help with winterizing their homes in the fall, prompted the change. JoAnn Runyan, District School to Work Coordinator says the 444-high school students dressed in their gold and black Trojan gear will be divided up into 30-groups and will be doing volunteer work at various venues, with the assistance of local groups and the Parks and Rec Department.

The students will be scattered out throughout the community until noon. Runyon says in addition to the clean-up jobs they will be handling, students will be collecting non-perishable items for the Atlantic Food Pantry. She says seven groups of seminar students will be out until 11:30-a.m. to collect food for the pantry.

If you’re not going to be home to donate food, you can place your non-perishable food items on the porch or front step for the students to pick up, or bring them to the Atlantic Food Pantry.