PORT ALLEGANY — By a landslide, Mr. Bienkowski’s seventh-grade homeroom won Port Allegany High School’s Shoe Wars. The school’s total donation was 160 pairs. At the elementary school, sixth graders in Mrs. Orner’s room collected 48 pairs to win the contest and the school’s total was 263 pairs. The winning homerooms each received a doughnut party to thank them for their hard work.

The Port Allegany School District held the contest to help Port Allegany United Methodist Church with its shoe drive, which has a goal of 90 bags. The Shoe Wars collection added to 52 bags already collected from the community, and puts the church at 70 total bags. With 20 more bags to go, donations will be accepted through the end of February. The shoes will go to Funds2Orgs and a check will be issued to UMC for its collection. All donated shoes will then be redistributed throughout the Funds2Orgs’ network of small business partners.

UMC fundraiser organizer is Michael “Buck” Barnard. For more information about the shoe drive, contact Barnard at (814) 598-3847.

Remember that donations will be accepted through Feb. 29 at bins located in the church parking lot, 307 N. Main St.

UMC officials said in a press release, “Port Allegany UMC would like to thank the PASD administration — Mr. (Marc) Budd, Mr. (Tracy) Kio and Mr. (Gary) Buchsen, the NHS, the Sixth Level teachers and all of the families who donated.

“The collection surpassed all expectations.”