CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — Students at the Tandem Friends School in Charlottesville have begun their own food drive, with grades competing against each other to see which one can donate the most for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.

The food drive is being run by senior Sofia Smith and is almost entirely student-run. Tandem, which includes students from grades five through 12, has participated in drives for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank in the past several years with other schools, but is holding its own individual drive from March 16-30.

While students will be able to donate at multiple points throughout Tandem’s campus, families and anyone else in the community who wish to donate can bring donations the the front office of the school.

“Tandem is a very service oriented place,” Smith told Cville Right Now. “We’re a Quaker school, so a lot of our values go along with stewardship and giving back to the community.”

Smith has helped put together the annual drive since her sophomore year, when she worked as the student coordinator for the food bank. In that role, she coordinated with the 33 schools that participate in the annual drive.

“I’ve had a few years of experience working with this,” she said, “and it’s been really great to do an individual drive at Tandem and just use those things I’ve learned by working at the food bank.”

While helping put together Tandem’s drive this year, Smith is also preparing to pass the torch after she graduates this year.

“It’s just been such a positive experience,” Smith said of her two years working with the food bank, “and I think as a senior this year, I was reflecting a lot on my growth and my leadership opportunities and I really had a lot of gratitude for my time with the food bank for all the experience it gave me, and so I really wanted to share that with some younger students and I really wanted Tandem to continue to be an integral part of the food bank.”

As part of that transition, Smith is working with sophomores Claire Dodson and Emory Shallenberger, who also work with her in the Art for Charity Club. The two clubs have worked together before, with Art for Charity painting a mural for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank last year.

“It’s all been a big part of Tandem life,” Dodson told Cville Right Now about the food drive. “… I know when I was in middle school, we had this project where we would create posters for the food drive and I participated in that. So for a really long time, we’ve done about this.”

All three said the drive helps bring the school together, with all grades getting involved both in the competition aspect as well as helping put the drive itself together. Smith said he enjoyed working with the younger grades because of their excitement in getting involved.

“I’ve had overwhelming kind of happiness from the younger student when working on the posters and things,” she said, “and I think it is really a great part of our community that we cultivate that leadership and that service work so young.”

While Smith prepares for his final drive with Tandem, Dodson and Shallenberger, who will be stepping into Smith’s role next year, have already firsthand the impact the event has not just on the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, but on Tandem itself.

“It’s such a great thing, and you really see Tandem come together even more than like they already are,” Shallenberger told Cville Right Now.