Rhinelander students raise $3,000, 600 pounds of food for local families

School District of Rhinelander students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, raised $3,000 and nearly 600 pounds of food to support the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry’s Hodag Monster Meals Program and local families during the holiday break.
The Key Club, working with the National Honor Society and district staff, organized the fundraising and collection drive over approximately two months that ultimately provided food support to 29 families over the holidays.
“We had about two months worth of different planning,” said Lexi Allen, Key Club advisor. “Our first month we had a penny war across the elementary schools. So all 4K to grade five students did penny wars against each other. Our sixth through eighth grade students did Penny Wars between their grade levels. And then our high school students did a fundraiser for the food pantry.”
The initiative also included fundraisers at basketball games and a giving tree with food specifically for families within the district.
Key Club student leaders Lexi Beran, Cassidy Lindner, and JaLyn LaChapelle spearheaded the effort after meeting with the food pantry to identify community needs.

“We teamed up and decided to take that as a leadership role,” Beran said. “We had a meeting with Courtney, and she brought up a list of ideas that we could do, and we thought that we could help out the Monster Meals Program by something that the high schoolers and the elementary kids in the community could get excited about.”
Courtney Smith, executive director of the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry, said the student-led initiative was particularly meaningful.
“This feels a little extra, especially coming from youth in our community,” Smith said. “One thing that we love about this food drive, and also fund drive, is it has been completely driven by the Rhinelander High School. So it says, for kids, by kids and benefits our whole pantry community.”
The $3,000 raised will directly support the Hodag Monster Meals Program, which provides free monthly meal bags containing fresh produce, milk, bread, and eggs to children with needs. Smith said the donation will cover at least one to two months of the program, which costs about $2,000 monthly and distributes 250 free meal bags at $25 per bag.
“When we receive a cash donation, we can actually leverage our buying power,” Smith said. “Usually, you know, like, $1 can get us five meals.”
The timing of the drive proved significant as the food pantry faced challenges in 2025, with in-kind food donations dropping by up to 30% over the course of the year.
“I think our kids are smart. I think they know about food insecurity already,” Smith added. “Their want to do this is really driven by their own vision for the community. I think it’s important that we as adults respond to youth leadership and let them take the lead.”
Superintendent Eric Burke, who serves as assistant advisor to the Key Club, praised the collaborative effort across the district.
“I’ve been so impressed with here in Rhinelander is the amount of kids doing good things for others,” Burke said. “Not just Key Club, FBLA, DECA, Student Council, HOSA—all these student groups that are doing great things for kids. It’s really, really awesome as superintendent to see that happening.”
The student leaders said they plan to continue similar efforts in the future.
“The cool thing is, is actually we’re all juniors, so we’ll all be coming back for another year, and Key Club is constantly getting new people coming in,” Beran said. “I definitely see us doing something like this again, whatever they need us to help out with.”
Smith emphasized the broader impact of the student initiative beyond just the dollars and pounds collected.
“Donations like this truly are inspiring. We know that our community supports us and we’re excited,” she said. “We know that a household can save $300 a month by shopping here. We know that we’re keeping kids healthy and strong, and we’re keeping seniors in their households.”