High school students hold cookout for those in need

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – A group of local high school provided a free community cookout to spread awareness for food insecurity.

Binghamton High School’s Top Club hosted Unity in the Community last week in Rec Park. It was a day of free food, free clothing, and giveaways, including over 30 gift cards to local restaurants and businesses.

The CAP Coordinator at Family Planning, Latoya Warren says the students came up with the idea for the event on their own. She says the local students see the impact of food insecurity in their daily lives and wanted to feed the community.

“It means a whole lot to us, we actually did not expect this big of a turnout, so we’re actually humbled beyond belief. We’re excited and we’re happy to just be able do this with people. And we’re hoping that this is going to set the tone for years to come. This is the first year that we were able to do this program at Binghamton High School, so we’re hoping that we can do it at other schools next school year in the area,” said Warren.

There were food trucks on site, including Big Zues Barbecue and the Lickity Split Ice Cream Shop.

Broome County presented the club with a proclamation, celebrating its commitment to battling hunger.

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