Woodland Adventist Christian School's students competed in the annual Kids Can Food Drive last November. KCRA, a local Sacramento television station, sponsored the competition as part of their annual drive to help feed hungry northern California families. Out of 413 schools participating in 14 counties, Woodland placed second.

Woodland’s achievement is remarkable because of its size. The one-room school boasts 12 students in grades one through eight. Principal Val Kampf teaches all grades with assistance from Barbara Crumb.

The Kids Can Food Drive determines the winners based on an average of food items per student. This enabled Woodland to compete with schools that have an enrollment of thousands. Woodland had an average of 112 items per student. Omar Rodriguez, a second-grader, said, “I liked seeing the huge pile of food.”

The top five schools won a monetary prize — $1,000 for first and $500 for second through fifth. While Woodland has not spent its prize money yet, they plan to buy some much-needed books for the library. “The school is small and has many needs,” says Kampf. “We will spend the money wisely.”

According to the thank-you letter sent to Woodland from KCRA, more than 301 tons of canned and nonperishable food items were collected for the 2005 food drive. KCRA and its viewers, more than 32 food banks and community service agencies, and nearly 262,000 students from 413 schools worked together to make the drive such a success. The collected food was available to hungry families in communities across the 14 participating counties in time for the holiday season.

The students collected the food from both their home neighborhoods as well as the neighborhood around the school. “I liked going around the neighborhood, because I’m meeting new people, I’m helping my school, and I’m helping other people,” said Bianca Trejo, a fourth grade student. The students’ parents were also delighted with their children’s interaction with the community. “I was happy to see community involvement – the idea of service to the community,” said Alicia Trejo, Bianca’s mother.

Woodland first became involved with KCRA’s food drive in 2004. The students placed second in the 2004 contest as well, though it was limited to the local county of the participating school, and there was no prize money involved.

The school is already looking forward to receiving an invitation from KCRA to participate in Kids Can Food Drive 2006. Though it is uncertain how Woodland will place this fall, it is certain that those in need will benefit from the students’ efforts. “I’m happy to know that other people are going to be able to have food,” said fifth-grader Lacy Fchmoekel.