Auburn’s 15th annual All-School/Community Food Drive collected more than 87,200 pounds of food donations.

The drive – the largest coordinated effort between the Auburn School District and the Auburn Food Bank – accepted donations March 11-22.

Division winners were: Auburn High School (6,850 pounds, 4.07 pounds per student); Olympic Middle School (6,859, 7.85); and Lakeland Hills Elementary (16,931, 28.45).

Of note, Hazelwood Elementary brought in a lofty total of 11,369 pounds of food, 18.82 pounds per student.

In all, students donated a total of 87,242 pounds of food, an average of 5.1 pounds per pupil.

“Thank you for accepting the challenge,” Debbie Christian, the food bank’s executive director, said in an email. “Thank you for spurring on the students. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of so many – some you see every day – and some you will never know about.”

Each year schools compete against each other in the elementary, middle and high school categories to see which can bring in the largest amount of food. And each year, many businesses, organizations and residents choose a school to support with their own food drives.

To learn more, or to donate to the food bank, call 253-833-8925 or visit theauburnfoodbank.org.