BJHS fundraiser ‘huge success’

(L-R) Cheerleader Marcy Smith, Inside-Out Ministries founder Deborah Ward and cheerleader Caroline Goode package canned goods.

The Beat Hoover/Beat Hunger canned food drive and fundraiser ended last week, and the girls delivered the collected items to Inside-Out Ministries Monday Nov. 1.

The Competition Cheerleading Squad passed out boxes to first block homerooms at Bob Jones High School and the class with the most donations won a free breakfast.

In total, $550 was raised and more than 1,000 non-perishable items were given to Inside Out, a local non-profit that helps those who are “struggling to provide basic needs” for themselves.

“The cheerleaders just surprised us completely,” said Deborah Ward, one of the founders of the ministry. “We very much appreciate it. We’ll help a lot of people.”

Caroline Goode and Marcy Smith, both seniors at Bob Jones, were the ones who spearheaded the fundraiser. They said they chose to give to Inside-Out because they wanted to give to an organization that served local needs.

“We’re really excited how our food drive turned out this year,” Smith said. “It’s the first year we’ve ever had it and it’s a better turn out than we expected. We’re really glad our school decided to come together and do this for the less fortunate in our community and we hope it will continue in years forward. It was a lot of hard work, but if you put your mind to it, you can get it done.”