Girls in gray kilts valiantly  hold cardboard boxes against a 40 degree wind chill trying to piece them together in order to form a sort of shelter. Faculty and a couple girls gather in attempt to build a fire for the long cold night ahead of them. Cars roll up with more students and parents. They drop off their cans and wish the girls a “Good Night!” before retreating back to their warm homes.

This was the scene in front of the school this past Wednesday night.

Librarian Jenny Campbell slept outside along with the other 30 or so student council members.

“It was an enjoyable experience. With our fire it wasn’t as cold as I thought it was going to be,” Campbell said.

It was Student Council’s annual campout to kick start Food For Thought, a canned food drive thats proceeds go towards Redemptorist Social Service’s food bank.

Last year Sion raised over 28 tons of canned food for Redemptorist, but this year members of STUCO and students want to raise that bar.

“Our goal this year is 30 tons,” senior Madi Lamb said.

Lamb, along with seniors Kamryn Schropp and Sarah Allen, are the chairs of the event. They aim to change the initial vibe of Food For Thought this year, in hopes of making it less about the competition and more about the cause.

“This year we were inspired by the motto ‘giving because we can and we care’. I think it shows a lot about your character to want to give because you can and not just because you care about the competition,” Lamb said.

The campout is one of multiple events Student Council will be holding to continue to promote Food For Thought in order to reach the 30 ton goal.

“We want to see that the school can unify in order to reach this goal,” Lamb said.