Hermitage Technical Center holds a canned food drive every year. Students collect non-perishable food items that will be used at a Thanksgiving dinner. Hermitage Technical Center has collected from Nov. 5-16 and then will serve meals at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Thanksgiving day from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

The Tech Ethics Society (an HTC student service organization) works in cooperation with The Giving Heart Foundation to run this contest between the a.m. classes, and then another between the p.m. classes, to see who can collect the largest number of cans. The collection provides a meal for families who may be having hard times; the homeless; and anyone who may be in need and alone on Thanksgiving.

Hundreds of tables are set up at the convention center, and people come and enjoy the meal that is provided for them. Last year the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class won the a.m. competition with 326 donated items, and the Criminal Justice class won the p.m. competition with 100 donated items. HTC collected more than 1,000 items during last year’s drive, and we plan to beat that number with the collections this year.

Students and people from ages 14-24 can help out on this day, but spots are limited and fill quickly. Many Tech Ethics members and Criminal Justice students have signed up in hopes that this Thanksgiving they can make a difference in the lives of people who are in need.