- Video shows Macy Hartjes and Gavin Wiese, two teens from Appleton who have been holding a food drive for the past five years.
- From October 12 through November 12 Gavin and Macy collected food for their fall food drive that will be given to St. Joe's Food Pantry.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Five years in the making. I’m Katlyn Holt and two teens from Appleton have continued to crush their goals while giving back to the community.
"Every year we just came back to it and then it’s just grown and grown over the years," said Wiese.
Gavin Wiese and Macy Hartjes have had a special tradition over the last five years, that started as something to do on a half-day of school.
"Every year we've kind of upped our goal a little more," said Hartjes.
From October 12 through November 12, Gavin and Macy collected food for their fall food drive that will be given to St. Joe's Food Pantry.
The teens said with help from family and friends, local businesses and schools, and even the Appleton Fire Department, they were able to meet their goal and then some.
"Now this year, we made it 15,000 and we didn't really think it was gonna happen, but it's way over that with the help of our community," said Hartjes
Macy's mom, Jessie, said seeing the community come together and the teens' passion for this food drive has made it worth it.
"The idea that they don't want it to end and that they like seeing that it continues and is making a difference is really cool," said Jessie Hartjes.
The pair wanted to thank the community for all the support they have received...
Although Macy and Gavin’s food collection wrapped up on November 12th, they do have a Venmo under the username @food-drive where you can help them continue their efforts.
This year, Macy and Gavin ended up collecting 16,438 food items. Additionally, cash donations and credits in their name will be used to buy more items.
