Students from 18 local high schools are helping feed the community this month. Today kicks off the 30th annual Student Hunger Drive for the Quad Cities.
Executive Director Liz Treiber says students have collected over 13-million meals since the Hunger Drive began in 1986. And that's been distributed to people in 22 local counties, through the River Bend Foodbank in Davenport.
She says it's important for students to understand how many people go without food each day, especially since 1 in 5 hungry people in the community are under the age of 18.
Treiber says the participating schools and students are rewarded with money for their efforts collecting food. But most students don't even realize there's a prize.
The Student Hunger Drive begins tonight with a talent competition and pizza party. And students will continue collecting food throughout the month, with a final rally on November 12th.
Treiber says 1 in 8 people go hungry in the Quad Cities area, and over 23 million meals are missed each year.