To help conquer food insecurity in Berrien and Cass counties, Southwestern Michigan College freshman Caleb Horst’s sociology 201 class raised money for the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry in Dowagiac.

Students were asked to design their own project to raise funds. Horst said he wanted to find a way to spread awareness about the issue among youth. That is when he thought of the choir director at Brandywine Middle and High School Denise Boger and her choir classes.

Horst said as a former Brandywine student, he had been a member of the choir for six years. He asked Boger if he could speak to the class about the hunger challenges that many of their peers and families might face.

“I could tell talking to them that it got to their hearts,” Horst said.

Through research, Horst said he found that more than 15 percent of the population in Berrien County and Cass County struggle with poverty.

“It could be anybody,” Horst said.  “It could be somebody that sat right next to you.”

When Horst left Brandywine after delivering his message, he said he expected students to raise around $50, but when he returned to collect the money a week later, Horst was surprised when the students handed him $216.

“It was a very overwhelming feeling,” Horst said. “It way surpassed my expectation.”

Accepting the money that day, he said he felt pride for his school and was overcome with emotion.

Boger said her students collected spare change through Nov. 14 through Nov. 18.  She said one student donated a portion of her paycheck to the fund and the National Honor Society also contributed.

The money will go toward a Christmas fund that will be donated to the St. Paul’s Food Pantry. With the donation, Horst said many families who might struggle in the area would have one less thing to worry about. Instead of spending money on food, he said, many families will now have the option to buy their children Christmas gifts.

And while students learned about how food insecurity may impact their community, they also learned a valuable lesson in coming together to tackle a problem.

“Just because they are still young and in high school, they can still help people in a big way,” Horst said.

Horst said his sociology class was able to raise more than $300 for the St. Paul’s Food Pantry in Dowagiac, not including the $216 raised by Boger’s class, which will be contributed separately to a Christmas fund for the pantry.

SMC students also collected canned goods, toiletries and wrapping paper.

For his part, Horst said that through the class, he became more aware of the struggles that some families might face.

“It has opened my mind and eyes and heart to wanting to help these people that have these problems,” Horst said.