Hamburg High School students of Hamburg School District supported Springdale Public Schools tornado relief efforts April 8 by collecting and donating items to Treehouse Pantry.
“When the tornadoes hit, my FCCLA team and I were in Benton for a conference. We were waiting for the elevator, and a girl behind us was talking about how it hit close to her home,” said Brianna Moore, Hamburg High School student.
It was at that moment that Moore said she wanted to get her school involved with doing community outreach for Springdale.
“We know how it feels for a natural disaster to come through and take away everything we know,” Moore said.
Two tornadoes ripped through her town when she was a tenth-grader, she said.
“It left some of our students and teachers without homes and other essential needs,” Moore said. “We had surrounding communities reaching out to lend a helping hand, so we always try to help when we can.”
Don Wallace, Hamburg High School agriculture teacher, said the students have big hearts and are prone to such generosity.
Students collected about 300-400 pounds of donations, which included cases and jugs of water, diapers, baby wipes, wet wipes, toiletries and blankets.
Wallace dropped off the donations April 8 when Hamburg FAA students traveled 250 miles to Northwest Arkansas for a state competition.
Damon Donnell, Springdale Public Schools Student Services director, said the donation is significant because it was made by students.
“That's what we want this place to be, students giving back to students,” Donnell said of the Treehouse Pantry. “We want that to be our culture here.”
Treehouse Pantry is the only standalone school district food pantry in Northwest Arkansas, he said. Community partnerships and donations are integral to its operations and sustainability.
“I think that all of us have the ability to help others, and I hope that's what it teaches everyone,” Donnell said of the donation.
Treehouse Pantry, 802 W. Allen Ave., is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday and is closed Saturday-Sunday. Call 479-334-4654 for more information.
Click here to learn more about the relief effort after the tornado of March 2022
