News

Apr

2021

Sunrise Elementary School collects 8,000+ canned food items for Amberly's Place

Amberly’s Place has the resources to offer meals to victims of domestic violence through summer’s end, thanks to students at Sunrise Elementary School.

Upon Yuma School District One’s return to in-person instruction in early March, the school’s eight-member student council – comprised of third, fourth and fifth graders – spearheaded a canned food drive for the local family advocacy center because “they wanted to give back.”

“They immediately thought of Amberly’s Place,” said student council advisor Megan Knueppel.

Involving the entire student body, the group spearheaded a three-week initiative to build momentum for National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is observed throughout the month of April.

By March 25, the day before its conclusion, the campaign had garnered 4,106 non-perishable food items. The next morning, the intake was nearly double. According to Knueppel, the final count capped at 8,000 items, but more donations continued to trickle in throughout the school day, contributing to the largest donation in Sunrise history, according to school educators’ best recollection.

The only incentive students had for the initiative, aside from providing essential resources to children in their own county and neighborhoods, was an ice cream party awarded to the classroom responsible for the most group donations. In this case, bragging rights went to Bethany Edwards’ fourth-grade students, who brought in 1,500 non-perishable food items.

“We were all in shock,” said Knueppel. “It’s really amazing to see the kids recognize that there are people out there that need assistance and that they can give back even in simple ways, like this fundraiser. Video games aren’t the most important thing in their life; they want to give back to their community. These kids are the future, and they are amazing. I couldn’t be prouder.”

The council is already ideating initiatives for next school year, including another canned food fundraiser for another local organization and a blanket drive to benefit homeless individuals.

“They were so energized by the outcome that they’re ready to do it again,” said Knueppel.

According to Knueppel, extending a helping hand to others is a trait that she, along with other Sunrise educators, aims to instill in her students.

“Even in our little community here on campus, when a new student comes to school we encourage them to go introduce themselves to that new student and include them,” said Knueppel. “Our students are constantly asking, ‘We want to help, what can we do?’ They want to help not just their own friends, but expand beyond to people they don’t even know. It’s really heartwarming.”

With local law enforcement, Amberly’s Place responds to scenes of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and elder abuse on a 24/7 basis. According to Amberly’s Place Executive Director Diane Umphress, in domestic violence cases, many women return to their abuser because they have no other place to go and/or don’t have the resources to feed their children. That’s why, when Amberly’s Place staff learn victims’ homes are stocked with little to no food, a box of non-perishable meal items are delivered to them.

“When we give these boxes to families we let them know that they came from donations from our community,” Umphress said. “‘People in your community care about you and they believe in you.’ Whether you’re a child or an adult, that means the world to them, because they’ve lost faith in themselves because they’re a victim. For kids to have that (support) from other kids, it means: ‘I’m accepted, I’m not an oddity.’ People in our own classroom might be needing some help. It’s good for kids to open up and understand that there are a lot of people out there who don’t have what they have and, if they can help, I think it will make them feel good.”

According to Umphress, Amberly’s Place serves between 250 and 300 victims every month. While some aren’t in need of a meal box, ample resources – including kid-friendly snacks like ramen noodles, mac and cheese cups and juice boxes – are accessible to those who do.

“In a time when people are struggling so hard to make ends meet, to be kind enough to think about people who may be having a hard time – that’s just Yuma compassion,” Umphress said. “I asked the students, ‘When you get home from school, what’s the first thing you do?’ They said, ‘We go get something to eat.’ How nice it is, that they’ve made sure children who’ve already had something bad happen to them get to come home and have a snack after school. Eight thousand (items); never in my wildest dreams would I have thought they could do that much. I hope they comprehend my thankfulness for what they’ve done.”