Senior Nik Janas has turned his favorite childhood lunch into a community effort through a peanut-butter-and-jelly drive benefiting Feeding America 

Janas’s CAS project aims to collect as many plastic jars of peanut butter and jelly as possible for distribution to local food pantries. 

CAS stands for creativity, activity and service, and the project is required for IB Diploma candidates to receive the diploma. 

The idea for a peanut-butter-and jelly drive came from childhood memories and a desire to help others. 

 “I was really excited because ever since kindergarten, I have brought a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich to school for lunch. They are my favorite because they are both filling and easy to make. By doing this drive, I can help other kids have the same experience.” said Janas. 

Planning the project took about three weeks, including coordinating with Feeding America and completing required meetings to officially organize the drive. 

Through the project, Janas has discovered that peanut butter and jelly are among the most commonly requested items at local food pantries. 

“I’ve learned how lucky I am to live in such a generous community,” he said. 

One of the biggest challenges has been spreading awareness quickly. 

With Feeding America’s donation deadline set for March 27 quickly approaching, time has been tight to gather as many jars as possible. 

Looking back, Janas said starting promotion earlier could have helped increase donations. 

“If I could have changed something, I would have started promoting the drive earlier,”  he explained. 

Janas encourages everyone who can participate to donate peanut butter and jelly before March 27th to help feed the community.