Ocean City School Creates Tourist-Driven Food Donation Box

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The Ocean City Intermediate School has been working on a project to make food donation boxes at the school. Renters at the Jersey Shore can drop off nonperishable foods when they are finished with their vacation.

The Food Drive donation boxes for nonperishable foods will be outside the Ocean City Intermediate School at 1801 Bay Ave. The food collected will be donated to the Food Bank of New Jersey.

Ocean City Intermediate School Building Supervisor Todd Lauer had the idea when he and his wife were on vacation and didn't know what to do with nonperishable food. They came home thinking about out-of-town renters in Ocean City and wanted to figure out a useful way to share leftovers.

Lichtenstein's shop students helped form the box design. Twenty students participated in constructing the boxes. Science teacher and Garden Club leader Corey Terry and her club were recruited in helping out due to the box's placement. The Garden Club and LAL teacher Elizabeth Lehman came up with a flyer that explained the project and donation guidelines.

"The food boxes will provide the less fortunate with food that would otherwise be discarded," said Principal Geoff Haines. "There is so much food left over when vacationers pack up and head home that becomes trash and wasted. It is an awesome opportunity to turn this into something good. The students at OCIS did a wonderful job in creating these bins in wood shop class as we always try to teach service to community."