This week’s uplifting story
The Students Who Filled a Field with Kindness
What happened
On October 25, 2026, hundreds of New Jersey students helped turn Howell High School’s football field into a sea of yellow food-donation bags. They were taking part in Dermer Dreams’ second annual 100-Yard Food Drive Challenge, collecting groceries with support from families, neighbors, businesses, and volunteers.
The statewide drive collected more than 250,000 pounds of food. Reporting by the Asbury Park Press distinguishes that statewide total from the roughly 150,000 pounds collected at Howell High. Food from Howell went to about 30 food-bank partners. Through the nonprofit’s Neighborhood Captain Program, students plan their own drives and work with an adult to collect and deliver donations.
Why it matters
The students did not need to solve hunger alone. They took responsibility for a manageable piece of the work, and thousands of small contributions became practical help for their neighbors.
The project also made leadership concrete: ask, organize, follow through, and carry the bags. Young people were not merely watching their community respond; they helped lead it.
Morning in the Holler angle
“Folks, a football field in New Jersey filled up with yellow grocery bags because students started asking their neighbors to help. The statewide drive brought in more than 250,000 pounds of food—about 150,000 of it at Howell High School. That is a mighty result from a simple beginning: one student, one neighbor, one bag. You don’t have to carry the whole world’s troubles. Carry what you can, and invite somebody to carry a little beside you. I’m just asking questions. That’s all.”