H-Club and FFA Collect $6,000 for Hartford Christmas Committee

H-Club and FFA raised $6,000 in donations through H-Club’s gift card drive and FFA’s fruit sale in an effort to continue their support for the Hartford Christmas Committee this year.

H-Club was unable to host its annual Toys4Tots drive and hold the class competition to spark interest in donating to the Hartford Christmas Community.

H-Club advisor Kristen Helms said, “I was pleasantly surprised by the number of gift cards that were donated.” The gift card drive was advertised in the daily student announcements and broadcasted during one of the Hartford football game live streams.

In addition to the new gift card drive, FFA was forced to change how to run the fruit sale to limit contact and keep both FFA and community members safe. The modified pick up service included switching to evening pickup and drive through service.

FFA advisor Kimberly Yohn said, “Honestly, our FFA members stepped up incredibly -- we only made about $500-750 less than a normal sale, and that was with the number of overall phone orders in particular being down about 66 percent.”

Although there was uncertainty regarding coming close to matching previous years donations, H-Club and FFA were able to gather donations to close the gap. Helms said, “This year the H-Club and FFA donated $6000 in gift cards and money. Last year we donated $7500 and 25 boxes of toys.”

Donations are needed now more than ever with the number of unemployed individuals spiking by 15.9 million between February and June 2020 due to the pandemic. HUHS donations help those in the Hartford community who may not have the opportunity to purchase gifts this holiday season.

Senior Olivia Otto said, “Our donations will make a huge impact in helping those that need our help this holiday season.” Otto said the donation amount is an “incredible number even in a normal year.”

The partnership between HUHS and the Hartford Christmas Committee has been strong for nearly a decade. “This partnership has been going on for longer than I’ve been at Hartford (eight years),” Yohn said.

Despite the adjustments to the normal donation drives at HUHS, H-Club and FFA navigated their way to make a difference for the community. Helms said, “In the end, we are here to support the community and help with its needs.”