BURLINGTON — The staff and students at West View Elementary don’t have to look far to figure out who might benefit the most from the school’s annual food drive.

Tales of hardship are pouring in to school counselors as the economy worsens and jobs become scarce. Sometimes, breakfast and lunch served at school are the only meals students eat all day, Principal Meagan Dawson said.

So instead of donating the food to a local food bank, students this year will hand it out to parents next week during parent-teacher conferences. Food will be offered to all West View parents, school secretary Jill Petersen said.

More than 80 percent of West View’s student population qualifies for the federal free- and reduced-lunch program.

Already this year, some parents and guardians have lost jobs, and some families are forced to choose between food and shelter. Families have been evicted from their homes, school officials said.

Wednesday morning, students lugged bulging bags of food through the school’s front doors. They carefully placed cans and boxes into plastic bins near the front doors as teacher Frieda Kraig tallied contributions on a clipboard. The food drive, which started Monday, is a contest among grades, Kraig said. As per tradition, the winners will be treated to a party.
Dawson said she hopes the extra food will relieve some financial pressure that West View families will face this winter.

“We’re just hoping the families can make it through these difficult economic times,” she said. “Families are having a hard time keeping food in the house. We wanted to make sure we could help out in any way we can because there’s a direct relation between being able to eat dinner every night and being able to concentrate on school.”

Joel Soto, 12, knelt on the carpet as he counted the cans he was depositing into the bins. He said that while he’s not personally aware of anyone facing hardship, he wanted to contribute to the effort.

“It’s a good way to help the families who need it,” he said.

Though Dawson was surprised by the volume of Wednesday morning’s donations, she’s concerned that the food drive won’t fill the growing need she has seen in the school.

“I don’t know if we’re going to have enough food,” Dawson said.

Earlier this week, Dawson made a trip to Costco and bought about $100 worth of food to donate. At first, she wanted to store it in a place where it wouldn’t get stolen.

The thought gave her pause. The people who would steal food from a food drive probably need it the most, she said.

West View staff meet regularly to identify students or families who have needs, Kraig said. But some of those are harder to identify than others.

“A lot of my kids won’t really talk about it,” Kraig said of her seventh- and eighth-grade students. “When you’re in middle school, you’re embarrassed about everything. When we do talk about (hunger), we’re careful to say ‘If you know anyone in the area who needs more food.’ ... Their parents being at school is a nightmare enough for them instead of picking up donated food.”

On Monday, officials plan to offer every family a bag or two of food. Any food left over will be donated to a local food bank, Dawson said.

Petersen, who helps families fill out paperwork to qualify for the free- and reduced-lunch program, said the need is more now than in years past.

“But I don’t think we’re done yet,” she said. “Families have been able to look to other resources and make it work. I think those resources are starting to dwindle even more.”

• Kate Martin can be reached at 360-416-2145 or at

* What: West View Elementary School food drive
* When: Drop food off from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday
* Where: 515 W. Victoria Ave., Burlington
* Information: 360-757-3391