Some area families in need are able to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner thanks to the hard work of a group of students at Eureka Springs High School.

Students with ESHS’s Future Business Leaders of America worked for approximately a month, collaborating with other schools and area businesses, to organize and put together their annual Thanksgiving food baskets.

“I am glad that I get to be a part of something where I get to help my community personally,” said senior Emma Hutchens, the school’s FBLA president. “I’ve been distributing the baskets the last couple of days, and it’s been great seeing the looks on all the people’s faces.”

Billie Reed, a business teacher and FBLA adviser at ESHS, said 17 members of the club all contributed to the project. Students from the high school had a contest in collecting food items and Eureka Springs Middle School also collected items for the baskets.

“It’s almost like a tradition that the FBLA students do this to reach out to the community and serve them,” Reed said. “It’s like it’s a community initiative brought on by the FBLA officers and members.”

Reed said FBLA treasurer Elijah Redmon worked daily on keeping food donations tabulated and organized, Hutchens played a big role in in getting key turkey gift certificates donated from Harts Family Center and FBLA member Tiffany Cross helped get roasting pans for each basket donated from Mud Street Cafe.

ESHS’s Rotary Interact Club also donated the baskets used, Reed said. “I just think it’s heartwarming,” Reed said. “When Harts donated the gift certificates, that was a big moment for us. We were kind of kind of running a little short on time and [Hutchens] made that call [to Harts] and they were like, ‘yeah, we can help,’ … that was just a good feeling.

“And that’s what communities are about, and that’s what I think is so important, is that FBLA is a community-minded organization. And to just see what communities can do when you take students … you’ve got parents, you’ve got businesses, everybody just coming together to do something that’s bigger than them.”

Eureka Springs Superintendent Bryan Pruitt said this project is one that brings a smile to his face.

“It makes you feel a lot of pride in knowing that our kids have that caring ability for our community and that they go out and they put these baskets together of food donations and then they deliver those,” Pruitt said. “The sense of pride in that is just overwhelming that our kids are caring, dedicated, and committed.

“You know, and we are a vacation town, so, [the students] live that and they understand that we live by the economy … and at times, you know, those things are really needed. So, for our kids to be able to do that, it’s something that they’ll remember from now on … it’s always better to give than receive.”

Reed said the baskets were delivered Nov. 16-18. Any leftover food items would be donated to A Cup of Love Ministry Food Pantry.

“This really has been a great community effort,” Reed said.

It’s one that Hutchens is glad she’s gotten to take a big role in during her final year in high school.

“It’s been really awesome,” Hutchens said. “I feel like people grew apart with COVID and this is really nice to see people coming together.

“It’s good to give back to the community and something that I know I’ll cherish.”