The entryway at Orchard Elementary School looked a little different Monday morning. One wall was filled to the brim with stacked boxes of cereal the students collected to donate to the Center of Hope Food Pantry in North Salt Lake. In total, there were 610 boxes. Performance Automotive Bountiful matched that bringing the total to 1,220 boxes amounting to 24,000 bowls of cereal that will fill the shelves at the pantry.

“We would have families come in and we had none on our shelves,” said Mary Ellen Dworshak, Community Outreach Ladies of Charity/Center of Hope. “Some of the kids went here (Orchard) so I contacted (Principal) Heidi Short. I expected her to say ‘let me check and see.’ But she was all in with whatever they could do. They really support the community and the kids and Heidi got the team behind it.”

This is the second year for the cereal drive. “Last year we got over 500 boxes,” she said. “It was overwhelming. Our major donor Performance told us if you do it again next year we’d love to match that.”

Fast forward to today, Dworshak said. “Everyone responded with great enthusiasm. I thought I better check with Lee’s and see if they even had that many boxes. The manager talked to General Mills and had 500 delivered to Orchard.”

North Salt Lake is an outstanding partner, she said. “They were named a City of Kindness. The kids are learning that too. You guys are all doing an amazing job to make a difference in a lot of people’s lives.”

The student council spearheaded the project. “The class that got the most donations wins breakfast with the principal,” said student council advisor Megan Brazelton. “We’re keeping with the breakfast theme.”

“It’s cool,” said sixth grader Brielle Briggs who is also a student council member. “Every morning we would go and collect the donations. It was fun to see the kids’ faces. It was fun for all of us to be part of the donation and help the community.”

“We’re collecting stuff for families at the Center of Hope to eat,” said another student. “It makes me happy to help people in need.”

“We’ve been helping the Center of Hope for five years,” said Patrica Byrne, Community Relations for Performance Automotive Bountiful. “We’ve been paying their rent and there’s an ongoing need so we’re here to help. They do great work, it’s amazing. Mary Ellen reached out to me – she does not take no for an answer.”

“We work hard to provide food to our clients,” Dworshak said. “We provide families with eggs, cheese, fruits, etc. We get help from the Utah Food Bank, Catholic Community Services and the Bishop’s Storehouse.”

COVID hit a lot of people hard, she said. “There are more people coming in. The need is so great. It’s important that the community stays strong, but they need to have their basic needs met first.”

This is incredible, just incredible, said Dworshak. “It makes such a huge difference. We feel so sad when people come in and we can’t give their kids something to fill their bellies. They need that so they can do well in school.” λ