Schools

Nicolet Hammers Out Hunger With Annual Food Drive

For the 36th year, Nicolet High School students collected donations for the Milwaukee Council for the Spanish Speaking. More than 14,000 canned goods and $5,600 in cash came through the school this year.

While dancing to Latin pop songs from Juanes Friday afternoon, dozens of Nicolet students passed canned goods down the line and into a few U-Haul trucks.

Spanish teacher Diane Tess said the group was more than 50 percent behind where they were exactly one year earlier on Wednesday. But in just two days, Nicolet students brought in more than 11,000 canned goods, bringing the total to a whopping 17,858 canned food items and $5,630. But no one's really sure why so much was donated right at the end. 

"Some people have been speculating because there's been a lot of other giving," Tess said. "We had a girl with a lost house. We have a girl we're raising money for There's Hurricane Sandy."

Find out what's happening in Fox Point-Baysidewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

All the canned goods and money are donated to the Council for the Spanish Speaking. 

"Tomorrow, it gets divided out for the 1,000-plus families," Tess said. "With the money we donate, they get fresh turkeys, potatoes and bulk rice."

Find out what's happening in Fox Point-Baysidewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But Thanksgiving giving isn't new to Nicolet. Tess said this food drive began more than 36 years ago with one Spanish class, blossoming into an entire district's support. 

"It started with one Spanish class, then it went to the Spanish department, then it went to the entire foreign language department," Tess said. "Then it went to the entire school in the 90s."

Today, Nicolet, along with the feeder schools, all participate in the annual food drive. Maple Dale Middle School donated 1,160 canned goods and items from Bayside Middle School and Stormonth Elementary were due to be delivered later Friday. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here