GAVC students collect more than 25,000 items for Operation Support Our Troops America

The spirit of giving has come to the Grundy Area Vocational Center as students compete for a pizza party while collecting goods that will be sent to soldiers overseas by Operation Support Our Troops America.

Students collected more than 25,282 items and $725 in Amazon gift cards as of Friday afternoon, with the automotive students donating the most items at 9,697.

Instructor Natalie Gregoire said the Grundy Area Vocational Center picks a local organization to donate to every year, and this year’s classes decided to do something specific for the military. They selected Operation Support Our Troops America, an organization out of Lisle that sends holiday stockings with things like gift cards, tissues, batteries and other small things those serving might need.

The kids buzzed around the school Friday morning as the competition came to a close. Those last few hours, as Gregoire predicted, brought along with a surge with classes trying to win at the last second. One class, two automotive students, appeared with a tub full of boxes of hot chocolate. It’s in the name of giving and supporting the military, but it’s also done for a prize: The class that collects the most goods wins a pizza party.

“As of Friday morning, we had about 16,000 items collected,” Gregoire said. “I anticipate a whole bunch of stuff coming in today as a last push.”

That last push came and it came in droves, as students added over 9,000 items to the total just before the final deadline.

“It’s been really fun to watch because the classes have been very competitive, friendly competitive, but they’re very much into it,” Gregoire said.

She’s been updating the standings every day and every day students crowd around it to see the who’s in the lead. The health occupations students started the morning in the lead but got topped by the criminal justice students, before the Automotive students jumped up the leader board at the last second. The final top four leaders were Automotive, health occupations, criminal justice and fire science.

Minooka High School student Rylee Boyd, a health occupations student, said every time one class takes the lead, another comes back to take the lead.

“We’re really competitive with the other classes,” Boyd said. “That really encourages us to bring in more for the points.”

For information about Operation Support Our Troops America, visit osotamerica.org.