Gurnee students fill a bus with food for their classmates

The school bus filled up by Gurnee students Tuesday was very different from the rest of the year. It was packed with food.

Students from Woodland East Elementary School eagerly took part in the District 50 11th annual "Shop with an Educator" at Target on Grand Avenue in an effort to fill the bus with food to be donated to low-income students in the district.

"It's awesome," said first-grade teacher Erica Myers. "We will fill this bus and another one Wednesday and another on Thursday."

Bus driver Angie Haynes took bag after bag from students during the three-hour event, packing each seat and the floor with everything from macaroni and cheese to aluminum foil.

Students were invited to come with a parent or family member and were given a shopping list of items to be donated to Woodland district families in need. More than a third of the 5,600 students in District 50 are classified as belonging to low income families. A teacher or administrator helped each student do the math as they chose items to reach the dollar limit set by their parent.

Thursday, students from Woodland Elementary West School will repeat the process of filling a bus from 4 to 7 p.m., and on Monday, Dec. 9, Woodland Intermediate students get their turn.

"We've even had shoppers stop and ask us what's going on, and then go back and buy things to add to our bus," said Myers.

The school district is also collecting new hats and mittens, as well as new or gently used books. Students are welcome to bring donations with them to school, or parents and community members can drop donations off at the Woodland Educational Support Center, 1105 N. Hunt Club Road, Gurnee. For more information, call (847) 596-5600.