By EMILY REED / Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – Alabaster City Schools are gearing up for the fifth annual Doug Trotter memorial canned food drive Nov. 1-21.

During the month of November, Alabaster City Schools will be collecting canned food goods to benefit those in need.

Those interested in donating canned goods can drop off items at any Alabaster City School during the drive.

Students at all of the Alabaster City Schools are encouraged to donate canned food goods for the drive.

Doug Trotter was a former science teacher at Thompson Sixth Grade Center, who passed away suddenly in 2012.

“Doug thought a lot of about community service and this is a way to honor him,” Thompson Sixth Grade Center Principal Daniel Steele said. “The canned food drive has been a great way for the schools to honor his legacy. I think he would be really proud at what the students are doing with the drive.”

The group that collects the most canned goods will be rewarded with the Doug Trotter Community Spirit Award, a title the Sixth Grade Center has held for four consecutive years.

“We are very proud of that title, and what our students have done to contribute,” Steele said. “It is a friendly-competition to see who can collect the most cans, and I think the students really enjoy that.”

Steele said the popularity of the drive is a mix of competition between the Alabaster City Schools, and the fact students enjoy making a difference.

“We talk about the fact that not everyone is as fortunate as we are,” Steele said. “That is something we try to go over with the students.”

Although an exact total of how many cans were collected in 2016 was not known, Steele said it was several thousands.

There are no specifications for what types of canned goods can be donated.

Steele said each school will work to promote various incentives for the students to help in collecting additional cans.

For more information about the canned drive, contact any Alabaster City School.