The traditional Thanksgiving Food Drive changed to a winter drive focused on collecting money to provide food for the Mustard Seed, a local food pantry.

According to Student Council President senior Gretchen Forbush, the food drive is similar to previous years, but Student Council is primarily collecting money rather than food donations due to a lack of preparation.

Social studies teacher and Student Council adviser John Barry believes this plan will be successful.

“Food pantries are worried about staples, things like soup, pasta, and bread,” Barry said. “The money is actually better because well-meaning, charitable kids buy the wrong things.”

Senior Class President Brendan Foley believes having monetary contributions will be helpful to the food pantry.

“We thought that we get too much of a certain food, like cereal,” Foley said. “A food bank only needs so much cereal, so we thought that if we collect money they can choose what they need.”

Although the drive traditionally contributes food to multiple pantries, including those in Northborough and Southborough, Boy Scouts’ recent “Scouting for Food” drive helped fill the two community pantries.

“When we contacted the Northborough and Southborough food pantries, they told us they were in good shape from Scouting for Food,” Barry said. “The Student Council wasn’t needed that much.”

In the past, Algonquin has helped a third food pantry, the Mustard Seed in Worcester. Most of the money raised during this drive will go to the Mustard Seed, while some donations will still be donated to the Northborough and Southborough food pantries.

“Their need is high,” Barry said. “Algonquin’s relationship with the Mustard Seed predates me, and I got here in 1994. They contacted us and we are going to take the donations and give it to the Mustard Seed.”

Barry praised the tradition of giving at Algonquin.

“I feel humble and grateful that I work in a building like this,” Barry said. “It feels good to unleash the potential in this building. It’s easy to run a drive when you have generous people.”

Student Council raised $2,360 through teachers asking their students to donate along with students carrying baskets asking for donations. The funds will be allocated to the Mustard Seed and local families in need, and if there is still some reserve, it will go toward the spring food drive.