East Lyme — Volunteers and students loaded food donations for Care & Share of East Lyme Inc. into a truck Tuesday at East Lyme Middle School.

Care & Share provides food, financial and emergency support to individuals and families in East Lyme and Salem.

More than 4,000 nonperishable food items were collected during the school's food drive that lasted three weeks. The event was organized by the school's Leadership Club, and adviser Collin McIvor said the donations were double what they were last year. The club picks service projects to work on every year and this year was inspired by growing food insecurity. 

"We never want anyone to go hungry," seventh grader Maelle Bunkelman said.