Rivals team up for a good cause

OCP photo/Pictured, left to right: Lakeshore Principle Community Affairs Manager for Consumers Energy Richard Houtteman, Burnette Foods Plant Manager Joel Smith, Hart senior athlete Caden VanGelderen, Shelby senior athlete Brody Fessenden, Deputy Tim Simon and Deputy Owen McGuigan.

Pirate News is a presentation of Hart Public Schools in partnership with Oceana County Press. 

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

HART — They may be fierce rivals on the football field. But off the field, Hart and Shelby high schools are working together for the betterment of the community.

A food drive organized by school resource officers Tim Simon and Owen McGuigan, who are Oceana County sheriff’s deputies, has sparked a coordinated effort between the arch rivals to get food onto the tables of people in need in both Shelby and Hart.

Leading up to the big game Friday night Oct. 16, students have been collecting canned goods and other nonperishable food items all week. Fans are also encouraged to bring their donations to the game where Simon, who is Shelby’s SRO, and McGuigan, who is Hart’s SRO, will collect them at the entrance gate.

In addition to the generosity of local students and families, two businesses—Burnette Foods and Consumers Energy—have also come in clutch. Consumers donated $2,000 towards the cause, and Burnette’s New Era plant is contributing $2,000 in food products. 

“Owen and I wanted to do something for the Hart-Shelby rivalry,” said Deputy Simon. “We wanted to do something to support our community where the communities could come together for the game.”

“But we also wanted to give something back,” said Deputy McGuigan. They are planning to have student council members assist them with the deliveries to the food pantries. “We want them to be involved as much as we are.” 

“We’re a big employer in the county and very big in the farming community with the growers, too—for all four of our facilities in Michigan,” said Burnette Foods Plant Manager Joel Smith. “Whenever we have a chance to give what we make, it’s great, so we just do it.”

“We like supporting food pantries—it’s a great thing to get behind,” said Lakeshore Principle Community Affairs Manager for Consumers Energy Richard Houtteman, who served as chair of United Way Lakeshore. “I talked to Barb Sims from United Way locally, and she is going to be the fiduciary here, and she will help get the funds to a food pantry in each community.”

The food will be given to food pantries at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Era and Bread of Life in Hart.

The Pirates host the Tigers with kickoff at 7 p.m.

________________________________

Please Support Local News Coverage

For generations, local newspapers were supported by subscriptions. Today, while Mason County Press and Oceana County Press remain free to everyone, the cost of producing quality local journalism continues to rise.

If you value independent local news coverage, we invite you to help sustain it by subscribing to the MCP/OCP Daily Briefing for $12 a month — about 40 cents a day — or $120 a year.

Your subscription helps support the reporters, photographers and editors who cover local government, schools, community events, sports, breaking news and the stories that matter most to Mason and Oceana counties. In return, you’ll receive the MCP/OCP Daily Briefing each morning with the day’s headlines, along with occasional breaking news and special email editions.

Monthly subscriptions are available for $12 per month.
Click here to subscribe monthly. 

Annual subscriptions are available for $120 per year.
Click here to subscribe annually.

If you prefer to pay by check, mail your $120 annual payment to:

Media Group 31, LLC
P.O. Box 21
Scottville, MI 49454

Please include your name, mailing address, email address and telephone number so we can activate your subscription.

Subscription payments must be received before service is activated.

Whether you choose to subscribe or continue enjoying our free content, thank you for reading Mason County Press and Oceana County Press. Your readership—and your support—helps ensure that independent local journalism remains available to everyone in our communities.

This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2026 by Media Group 31, LLC, P.O. Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. All rights reserved. No portion of this story or its images may be reproduced in any form, including print, broadcast or electronic media, without the express written permission of Media Group 31, LLC.

As a news organization, Media Group 31 maintains published content as part of the public and historical record. Accordingly, stories are not removed after publication. At the editor’s discretion, stories may be updated or corrected as new information becomes available. Updates may be made by revising the original story or by publishing a follow-up story. Media Group 31, LLC reserves the right to modify this policy at any time. Please refer to our Use Policy for additional information.