John’s Journal: Moorhead Is 2021 Sack Hunger Champion

The Minnesota State High School League is proud to announce that Moorhead High School is the champion of the third John’s Journal Sack Hunger campaign, in which schools all over the state are encouraged to collect non-perishable food items for those in need.

The Sack Hunger campaign began in 2018, when Spring Grove High School was the champion. Owatonna High School won the Sack Hunger campaign in 2019 and the drive was not held in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The effort returned this year and the Moorhead Spuds went above and beyond to feed those in need. Moorhead High School and other buildings in the district collected canned food as well as monetary donations. A total of 15,846 canned items was collected by the Spuds, along with more than two thousand dollars in funds to feed the hungry.

Moorhead’s effort was part of the annual Fill the Dome campaign in the Fargo-Moorhead area, with the goal of filling the floor of the Fargodome with food donations for those in need. During Fill the Dome’s 14 years, four million meals have been provided to help feed hungry children, seniors and families in the region. Students also have collected more than $690,000 during that time. Fill the Dome is led by Great Plains Food Bank in Fargo-Moorhead.

Fill the Dome has been happening in the Moorhead community since the beginning in 2007. At Moorhead High School, teachers and classes are encouraged to compete to bring in the most food, with a pizza party being awarded to the "winning" class. They have created a culture that supports this community food drive and they have worked hard over the years to raise awareness about hunger and food insecurity.

The Sack Hunger campaign is a partnership between the MSHSL and Second Harvest Heartland to fight hunger in Minnesota and the upper Midwest.

According to Second Harvest Heartland, more than half a million Minnesotans are now facing hunger, including 200,000 kids who are going to bed hungry, and 63 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, when one unexpected expense can mean choosing rent over meals.

The Fill the Dome project at Moorhead High School is coordinated entirely by two student council members, who attend meetings throughout the summer and fall to coordinate and plan the food drive and the community activities associated with FTD. They also work with other schools in the district to encourage their food-drive plans and gather all the food at the end of the designated time. 

This year's student leaders at Moorhead High were Evie Kenkel and Megan Wilke. Congratulations to Evie and Megan and everyone who took part!

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at [email protected]