West Orange Students Create ‘Human Chain’ To Benefit Food Pantry

WEST ORANGE, NJ — It was a human chain of kindness.

Recently, the students and staff of Washington Elementary School in West Orange held their annual soup drive to benefit their next-door neighbor, the Holy Trinity-West Orange Food Pantry.

The drive was a big hit with students, who created a “human chain” that stretched from the school to the pantry in a show of solidarity.

A pair of West Orange police officers were on hand to close off Franklin Avenue and look out for the students during the event.

When the students reached the pantry, staff immediately put them to work sorting donated food. The eager volunteers hand-delivered and sorted 1,225 cans and packages during the event, brightening their workplace with chants like “Pass That Soup” and “We Will, We Will Pass It.”

The annual school event took months of preparation, and saw some familiar faces return, such as Washington teacher Linda Perna, who has headed up the effort for several years.

"This soup drive is a big highlight of our year," said Cynthia Cumming, administrator of the HTWO pantry. "It just never gets old, seeing how excited the kids are to do the drive and wanting to help."

Cumming said it’s especially meaningful because Washington is a Title I school and more than 70 percent of the students there receive free lunch.

"Even though these families struggle, they still give," Cumming said. “It is a testament to our West Orange community and schools."

Don’t forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page here. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com