On October 20, twenty-eight Oneonta Middle School House Leaders rolled up their sleeves and joined Chobani employees and community volunteers at the Northern Eagle Warehouse in Oneonta, New York, for Chobani’s annual Let’s Eat Week in honor of World Food Day. The event brought together people of many ages, abilities, and backgrounds with one shared mission: to help feed families facing food insecurity.
Let’s Eat Week, now in its third year, invites Chobani employees and partners across the world to volunteer their time to pack and distribute nutritious meal boxes for children and families. This year, through the efforts of volunteers and partner organizations, Chobani is helping nourish nearly twelve thousand families. Thanks to this partnership, the Oneonta City School District received one hundred fifty five food boxes, which will be distributed to families in our own community.
Although the rainy weather set the backdrop, the warehouse was filled with energy, music, laughter, and purpose. Volunteers formed an assembly line, loading ingredients, sealing boxes, stacking pallets, and writing handwritten notes of kindness and encouragement to the families who would receive them. Students sang along to the music as they packed and cheered one another on. The room was full of joy, service, and compassion, and it was clear that these boxes were being packed with love.
Vice Principal Abigail Losie shared her appreciation for the partnership that made this experience possible. “Chobani has been incredibly generous in giving back to our local schools,” she said. “We are thankful for the opportunity to work with our students in the community.” What began when Kristine Baker from Chobani invited Vice Principal Losie to attend the Otsego County Hunger Coalition Hunger Summit has grown into a meaningful connection. Each month, Chobani donates fifty flats of yogurt to the Oneonta Middle School, and now students have had the opportunity to serve alongside them in an event that makes a real difference for local families.
Superintendent Thomas Brindley also volunteered at the event and expressed gratitude for the experience. “We are thankful for community partners like Chobani who invest in our schools and our families,” Brindley said. “Watching our students serve with such enthusiasm was inspiring. This partnership reflects the best of who we are as a community. It is neighbors helping neighbors.”
The spirit of service will continue here at home. On Wednesday, October 22 at 10:00 in the morning, the Oneonta Middle School will host a drive through food pantry with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. As our students witnessed this week, there is always more we can do to care for our neighbors and ensure that every family has access to good food.
As the final pallets were wrapped and the last handwritten cards were tucked into boxes, the true meaning of the day was unmistakable. These student leaders, so often focused on serving their school, experienced what it means to serve the wider world. They worked side by side with community members, colleagues, and neighbors. They learned that leadership is not only about voice or position, but about compassion, humility, and choosing to take action on behalf of others.
Chobani’s message for the week is simple: let us eat together. On this day, surrounded by teamwork and generosity, Oneonta students lived out that message, proving that even on a rainy day, the community can shine.
GO 'JACKETS!
