Lee County’s 13 Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs will hold a month long food drive to benefit Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc. (CCMI) from Wednesday, February 18.

A kick-off event to promote the donation effort and to generate community interest is planned for 3 p.m. at South Fort Myers High School.

Cadet Col. Amanda Woods of South Fort Myers High and Cadet Col.Rachael Parker of Cypress Lake High School will be on hand to discuss the details of the campaign and to motivate their peers to complete a successful drive.

South Fort Myers High is located at 14020 Plantation Rd., Fort Myers.

“We are honored to have the JROTC cadets stepping up to help our community in this way and at such an essential time,” said Sarah Owen, CEO of CCMI. “Hunger doesn’t differentiate. It affects the young, old, strong and weak and we are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of people who need our help.”

According to officials from Lee County JROTC Program, the goal of the drive is to collect as many items as possible during the month long time period.

“Helping one’s community is at the core of the JROTC fundamentals,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Madigan. “We are training our cadets to be better citizens and this is a shining example of how they have chosen to help their community and neighbors.”

JROTC is a cadet run and cadre member supervised educational program. Their mission is to motivate young people to be better citizens, which they achieve through classroom and hands-on experiences.

Only non-perishable food items will be collected and stored at various school locations until they are delivered to CCMI’s Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry.

The JROTC program is organized by school with each having a cadet Battalion lead by one cadet who gets support from his/her cadet staff and subordinate commanders. The JROTC program produces successful students and productive adults, while fostering in each school a more constructive and disciplined learning environment. It is the centerpiece of the Department of Defense’s commitment to America’s Promise for youth through its emphasis on community service and teen anti-drug efforts. Satisfactory completion of the program can lead to advanced placement credit in the Senior ROTC program or advanced rank in the Armed Forces. Today, just over 2,200 cadets participate in Army JROTC activities in all 13 public high schools.

CCMI serves Fort Myers and the greater Lee County area, including Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres and is the umbrella agency for the Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Senior Transportation, the Montessori Preschool of Dunbar and Family and Homeless Services. CCMI also partners with Wake Up America, the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Family Health Centers, Goodwheels and Senior Friendship Centers. CCMI is a United Way agency.

Vision: To be a world-class school system

________________________________________________________

Joe Donzelli

Director, Communications & Printing Services

Lee County Public Schools

239-461-8420 (office)

239-337-8505 (fax)

Stay Informed – Sign Up for our e-Newsletter at www.leeschools.net

VISION – To be a World-Class School System

SUNSHINE LAW & PUBLIC RECORDS CAUTION: Most E-mail communications made or received by District staff are considered public records that must be retained and, upon request, made available to the public and media. There should be no expectation of privacy.