Mountain Brook Junior High Collects Nearly 1K Canned Goods

MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL — Diring Mountain Brook Junior High School's Connect Month, the school's canned food drive netted nearly 1,000 canned good items. Connect Month was derived from the school's annual Connect Week, tweaked this year for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The month started with a dress-up week that featured a Tie-Dye Day, Western/Country Day, and Favorite Season/Holiday Day. The following week was designated as Veterans Day Week and included a Veterans Day e-Assembly and door decorating competition among grade levels.

MBJH celebrated Staff Appreciation Week from Nov. 16-20 to connect with custodians, lunchroom workers, office personnel, and instructional aides, along with the school resource officer and school nurse.

The month then culminated in a canned food drive Nov. 23-24 that allowed MBJH to connect with the community. The school donated 950 canned food items to the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama just before Thanksgiving.

“I think the ultimate goal, this year specifically, was to make up for the mental and emotional disconnection from social distancing and the Green and Gold hybrid schedule,” MBJH Principal Donald Clayton said. “We still ran a safe Connect Month with COVID protocols, but mentally and emotionally it was just a chance to get outside of the struggle.”

Clayton labeled the Connect Month experience a success and said it pushed MBJH toward its goal of becoming the most welcoming school in America.

“We know that our kids, when they connect with one another, feel welcome at our school,” Clayton said. “They feel like they’re at home, and we know it’s a better overall experience.”

The Connect program is related to Connect Month but differs in its delivery. Through the program, all MBJH students engage in a weekly character education lesson taught by their homeroom teacher.

Connect is on pause this school year due to the pandemic but will resume when circumstances permit.

Patch has teamed with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.