New Ken-Arnold food drive shatters goals for food, cash donations

Valley High School’s annual food drive came back — and came through — in a big way this year.

After not being held last year because of the covid pandemic, the now-districtwide effort shattered goals for food items and cash so much that not one but two New Kensington police officers — Chief Bob Deringer and school resource Officer Phil Huth — volunteered to take pies to their faces to help students celebrate their success.

Deringer’s daughter, senior Emily Deringer, had the honor of delivering the whipped cream pie to her dad’s face in front of the student body assembled in the Valley High gymnasium.

“I will never want whipped cream again. I still taste it,” Deringer said afterward. “It was worth it, though. It’s for a good cause.”

Making it even more meaningful was that Valley High student council leaders named the drive for Vinson Pelisari Jr., a 2014 graduate and sergeant in the Marine Corps who died in November 2020. His parents, Vinson Pelisari Sr. and Michele Pelisari, were present as the results of the drive in their son’s memory were announced.

Sgt. Pelisari had been active in food drives and collections while he was a student and involved in the JROTC program.

“He was always looking to help people,” Vinson Pelisari Sr. said.

Having the drive named for their son “means the world to us,” Michele Pelisari said. “It’s amazing. We so appreciate it.”

The Valley Vikings Sgt. Vinson Pelisari Jr. Memorial Food Drive had a starting goal to collect 600 cans of food, senior class President Rachel Schrock said.

That goal was reached in three days.

A new goal of 1,000 cans was reached in a week, leading to a goal of 4,000 being set.

“We just blew right through that,” Schrock said.

The collection as of Wednesday afternoon was at 11,257 cans and other nonperishable food items. Schrock said more could come in that night.

Schrock said this is the first year the district’s three elementary schools participated in the drive, which previously was held just at the high school. H.D. Berkey Elementary, which houses just first and second grades, contributed 4,246 cans; Martin, which houses only kindergarten, collected, 1,500.

The last food drive, held only at the high school in 2019, collected about 2,800 cans.

“You can see how big a difference (including the other schools) made,” Schrock said.

Collection boxes also were placed at businesses in the community.

The monetary goal of $500 also was smashed, with $3,200 collected. That was thanks in large part to a $2,300 donation from district teachers and staff, said Rachael Link, a Valley High School English teacher and student council adviser.

Other donations were $500 from the New Kensington-Arnold Education Association, a $200 donation from the Officer Brian Shaw Foundation and a $200 anonymous donation in memory of Vinson Pelisari Jr.

The food and funds are being split evenly between six food banks and organizations serving the New Kensington-Arnold community.

They are: Mount St. Peter Parish, St. George Orthodox Church, United Presbyterian Church of New Kensington, First United Methodist Church of New Kensington, New Kensington Salvation Army and Project SEED.

At St. George, the food will go toward its emergency food pantry, volunteer coordinator Toni Trofnoff said.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “This holiday season had been full of surprises. God bless them all.”

Trofnoff said their donation should be enough to fill the pantry, which relies on donations and serves about 10 people per month.

“We will have enough food to last months,” she said.

Maria Guzzo, a coordinator of the food pantry at Mount St. Peter, said she was overwhelmed.

“I’m so amazed. They raised mountains of food, but also the funds that were brought in,” she said. “They understood the assignment. They really came through.”

Guzzo said their share should be enough to feed people at her church for four to five months.

“I’m stunned. This school isn’t really that big,” she said. “It’s great that everybody is so generous.”

A daylong student volleyball tournament was held as part of the food drive, culminating in a final match between a team of seniors and a team of teachers. The undefeated teachers won again, 25-19.