Butte Central Schools Support Thompson Family Food Drive

Butte Central is once again joining the citywide effort to support families in need by collecting donations for the Thompson Family Food Drive. Founded in 1989 as a way for Thompson Distributing to give back to the community, this event has grown into a beloved tradition that brings the entire Butte community together every year.​

Each December, students, staff, parents, and volunteers from Butte Central help collect non-perishable food items, toiletries, and monetary donations. These are then distributed to the Butte Emergency Food Bank, which relies on the drive to help stock its shelves through the winter months. Homes, businesses, and schools across the Mining City participate, making this one of the largest efforts in the region to fight hunger during the holiday season.​

Since its beginning, the Thompson Family Food Drive has grown from collecting a single truckload of supplies to mobilizing over 700 volunteers who go door-to-door each year, covering every house in Butte in just a few hours. Community support remains strong, with local organizations, fire departments, businesses like Harrington Pepsi, and other schools all contributing to the cause.​

Butte Central’s involvement is a point of pride for students and the broader school community. By participating, students learn the value of service, teamwork, and generosity. The school encourages families to send contributions with their children or to drop off donations at collection points leading up to the big day.​

On the morning of the drive, volunteers gather to collect donations from porches around Butte and deliver them directly to the food bank. The drive often coincides with additional community efforts, such as a winter clothing drive, and is a chance for everyone to come together in the spirit of giving.​

With goals as high as 100,000 pounds of food and tens of thousands of dollars in support, the impact of the Thompson Family Food Drive continues to grow each year. Butte Central’s dedicated participation helps ensure that no family in the community goes hungry this winter, keeping the tradition vibrant and meaningful for another year.​