HELPING HANDS, REACHING OUT; STUDENTS GIVE UP SOME OF THEIR VACATION TIME TO PROVIDE FOOD, GIFTS FOR NEEDY.

Byline: Nathaniel Greely Staff Writer

Keeping up an 11-year tradition, students in a Burbank High School service club are finishing up their annual holiday canned food drive, which organizers said Friday has been the biggest yet.

``A lot of students join clubs because it will look good on their college applications or for extra credit, but this club is different,'' said Rhendy Santosa, a senior and president of Helping Other People Eat. ``This club really touches people's hearts.''

Santosa said the HOPE club is one of the largest service clubs on campus and the annual drive to collect food and gifts for local needy families is a way for students to get together to make Christmas a little merrier for the less fortunate.

Hundreds of food items and gifts have been collected this year, enough for 50 families to receive a basket including food for three holiday meals, one gift for each family member, and a gift certificate for a turkey and a pie from a local supermarket. The gifts are donated by students and school organizations throughout the year, and the gift certificates are donated by the PTA.

Friday, the students were hard at work organizing the mountains of cans and toys into personalized baskets for each family.

It may seem strange to see 94 students staying late on the last day of school before the Christmas break without getting extra credit or any material reward, but many of these teens feel they've received a valuable, eye-opening experience.

``You hear a lot about the poor, but wrapping gifts for each kid in a family makes you think about them as actual people,'' said junior Tiffany O'Brien. ``It feels good to help people.''

The baskets will be delivered Saturday to the National Guard Armory in Burbank, where they will be stored until the families pick them up Christmas Eve.

If a family doesn't have transportation, the basket will be delivered by the Burbank Fire Department.

HOPE was founded 11 years ago by teachers Barbara Rinetti and Nanci Leonard at the urging of two youths who wanted to form a school club to help the homeless.

``I thought, we can't make a huge difference in L.A., but we can make a difference in Burbank,'' Rinetti said Friday.

Every year the club raises about $10,000 worth of food, clothing and cash for the Burbank Temporary Aid Center. Rinetti said the enthusiasm of the students involved is remarkable.

``Often teen-agers get a bad rap,'' Rinetti said. ``People think they're self-centered, but when these teens learn about the lives of the less fortunate, they are truly moved. Once they get involved, they get a buzz going around the school, urging other students to donate to the program.''

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Photo: Burbank High School students, members of the Helping Other People Eat service club on campus, pack donated toys Friday for distribution to needy families in the community. This is the 11th year the program has made the holidays a little brighter.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer