On Oct. 24, North Branford Intermediate School (NBIS) hosted the 26th annual Community Food Drive and rounded up nearly 8,700 items in just a few hours, one of largest amounts collected in the history of the event.

“It went very well,” said NBIS Principal Alan Davis. “North Branford Intermediate School has been organizing this event for 26 years, and it was certainly one of our most successful round ups.”

The annual event gets students from all grades at NBIS (6, 7, and 8) involved as well as students from North Branford High School and members of staff and faculty from both schools. In addition, parents and community volunteers help out, including some who drive teams of students out to pick up donated food left beside citizens’ mailboxes between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Last weekend’s gorgeous fall weather may have helped boost numbers, Davis said, as well as the enthusiasm of the participants, including some of the newest volunteers.

“Good weather is a factor, and we also had a lot of students who participated in the round for their first time, in particular, a lot of 6th graders,” he said.

A friendly competition among the student teams earned prizes, courtesy of NBIS, for the top teams (those collecting the most). Back at NBIS, volunteers of all ages spent many more hours working to sort collected items by category and box up and label the goods. By that afternoon, North Branford Public Works volunteers helped load the boxes onto trucks and make a big delivery to the local food bank. This year, Food Pantry of North Branford (FPNB) gladly received all contributions from the Oct. 24 effort. In addition to donations of food, nearly $1,000 in monetary donations were given to FPNB, according to Davis.

The goods and money received from the drive will help fill shelves at the pantry’s new home at the rear of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Northford. The pantry has been operating out of the site since opening in June. Currently there are 95 families, or a total of 255 people, receiving food from FPNB, according to organizers. The all-volunteer, non-profit pantry is open three days a week.

The annual round-up involves planning, organization, and plenty of volunteers, but could not be a success without the participation of the citizens of the town who support it, said Davis.

“I want to thank the North Branford and Northford community for an overwhelming show of support, once again, and for helping to make this a successful round-up,” said Davis.