The Foundation for Edmonds School District partnered with the City of Lynnwood Friday to host a food and clothing drive supporting some of the district’s most at-need students.

Each year, the city and foundation hold a food drive with proceeds going to the Nourishing Network, which offers food and coordinated assistance programs for the district’s homeless students and their families.

Typically, Lynnwood city staff hold a competition to see which city department can raise the most in food donations. However, with more than half of city staff working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event shifted to drive-thru donation drop-off in front of Lynnwood City Hall.

“(The competition) is kind of an ‘in-house’ thing, and then we’d weigh the food for them,” said Nourishing Network Project Manager Thame Fuller. “Whereas this year, it’s just a drive-up drop-off and it’s open to the community.”

In addition to the food drive, this year’s event included a teen clothing drive to support Holly House for Kids, a local non-profit program that provides holiday gifts to low-income children in the Edmonds School District. Lynnwood employee Misty Burton-Burke said the drive was focused on donations for teens because they often receive fewer donations for kids 10-18 years old.

“The goal is that they want to give these items to these kids for Christmas,” she said.

Holly House is also holding a clothing drive for students of all ages, and donations can be dropped off at Sparta’s Pizza and Pasta House, located at 17630 Highway 99, during regular business hours — 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.