FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) –The seniors of Fredericksburg High School are doing their best to be a light amidst all the bad news of the day.
After four years of hard work to save up enough for a senior class trip to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, class officers decided to instead donate the $10,850 dollars raised to the Fredericksburg Food Pantry.
They said it felt like the right thing to do with the upswing in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Class officers Amy Dittmar, Caitie Huff, Noah Downey, Sydney Holster, Emilia Smajstrla, Ryan Davis and Chad Braden, presented a surprise check to the charity on May 18. Food bank secretary Merrilyn Hartmann knew some sort of donation was coming but had no idea it was going to be so large nor of the sacrifice involved.
“Whenever we showed her the dollar amount, she just started going on and on about how amazing it was for us. I actually started tearing up,” says class president Caitie Huff. “It just felt so good to be able to give that much money and know that it’s going to make an impact on so many people’s lives. It’s one of the best feelings I’ve felt, you know. I knew, just deep in my heart, we were doing the right thing.”
It was Caitie who had the idea to donate the money in some way. Ideas like buying a park bench or buying some sort of memorable keepsake for every senior were batted about but Caitie finally decided on donating it to charity.
All agreed.
The next question was – which charity to donate it to?
Class Vice President Amy Dittmar thought of the food pantry as a way to get the most use out of every hard-earned dollar.
“I think we’re all just kind of hungry for something good. Knowing that we were able to do something this good and this impactful, just seeing people smile right now, is just the best thing ever. The look on the woman from the food pantry’s face when we donated the money…that was just so worth it all the way.”
The senior class hopes that this good deed will be an inspiration to other classes down the road to leave their own marks by giving back to the community. A legacy to be celebrate as they throw their caps into the air this Friday night at graduation.
