By: Caitlin Chung ’20

Members of the middle school community donated toys and nonperishable food items for the annual Food and Toy Drives in November and December. The drives were set up in order to provide for the less fortunate population in the city.
Director of Student Affairs Keith Jordan, who leads the community service program, explained the purpose behind the two events.
“The drives are important for two reasons. First and foremost, they act as a reminder to our Harvard-Westlake community that there are many people who live with real challenges every day in Los Angeles. Second, they reinforce the idea of ‘purpose beyond ourselves’ and that it is important for us, as a community, to support those in need whenever and wherever we can,” Jordan said.
Librarian Christina McClendon said she saw the toy house in the library slowly fill up every day and that she was very happy about the progress the students and faculty made while the toy house stayed up.
“After school, I put the toys inside the house, and I noticed how full it was getting every day. I don’t remember how full the house was last year, but I think we did pretty well this year,” McClendon said.
Students who participated also seemed to grasp the message of caring for the larger community.  Hayley Rothbart ’21, who donated to the drives, expressed her thoughts about them.
“I think giving back to the community is really great because we are such privileged people living the lives we live and going to Harvard-Westlake. I believe it’s always good to give back and I just wanted to make them smile,” Rothbart said.
Donations filled five bins of food for the Westside Food Bank and the entire Toy House to provide for children whose families may not have been able to afford gifts during the holiday season.