The can-do attitude of students at School Street Elementary
School brought in plenty of cans an other food items to the YWCA
food pantry Tuesday morning.
The project, called Caring and Sharing, is in its sixth year.
Started by Gary Woodmansee, the project includes students bringing
in food over a three-week period. The food is then delivered to the
food pantry for distribution.
“We are trying to teach the kids to do something good for the
community,” current project coordinator Bob South said.
The timing is perfect for the food pantry.
“It’s a huge help to us,” said Dan Green of the biggest donation
the YWCA receives all year. Green, along with Amy Pierce, organizes
the food pantry.
“There’s a set amount of food we give to everybody,” Green said.
“If the family is bigger, we add on.”
The standard family is about three members. If the family is
larger, they can get more items.
The food pantry is divided into sections – the community area,
main area and food provided through the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
Among the items the pantry provides are pasta, peanut butter,
jelly, tuna, soup, cereal and vegetables.
Green also explained that they try to put together meals in the
various items the families receive – not individual items that
don’t go together.
Generally, the pantry feeds around 150 households monthly and
provides close to 3,000 items of food.
In the end, both the students and the food pantry benefit from
the experience.
The homerooms that bring in the most food then get a pizza
party.
“When our class won, we all screamed,” fourth-grader Jennifer
Silsby said.
While they enjoyed winning, they also liked helping out those
who are less fortunate.
We liked “helping out a charity,” Jennifer said.
The students delivered 2,618 items Tuesday. The students brought
in 825 items to school alone on Monday with the promise of an ice
cream treat.
With the students’ donations, Green said he now won’t have to
buy some items such as soup or vegetables for a couple of
months.
“The kids do it,” South said. “They do it all … it’s a good
project for them.”
South also mentioned the support of the teachers and
administration helps, too.
Green said the YWCA also gave out “turkey boxes” through the
donation of 70 to 80 turkeys by a private donor.
