Isnt this the best? Saint Dominic Academy Fifth Grade Students Donate to St. Mary’s Food Pantry The holidays are a time for giving and that is the message the fifth graders at Saint Dominic Academy tried to spread recently by organizing a food drive to benefit St. Mary’s Food Pantry, in Lewiston. During the months of October and November, students challenged their peers to donate non-perishable food items from their own pantries and place them in designated receptacles at the school. This effort is a community service project that all fifth grade students participate in and is headed by teachers Mrs. Theresa Dufour and Mr. Dustin Haskell. On Monday, Nov. 24 the students loaded a school bus and a parent’s van with all the food that was collected and delivered it to St. Mary’s Food Pantry, located at 208 Bates Street. Upon arrival the students were assigned various tasks, such as, weighing, sorting and organizing the items within the pantry. They worked side by side with the pantry staff to make sure that items were placed in the appropriate bins. The students were elated to learn that they collected over 1,000 food items, totally over 1,123 pounds of food. It was also noted by Ms. Joyce Gagnon, director of the pantry, that the two hours the students volunteered allowed the pantry staff to dedicate their efforts towards other projects that are pressing during this busy time of year. Students were surprised to learn that not everyone has the means to make a large Thanksgiving dinner for their family. St. Dom’s has collected food for similar food drives for over 10 years, and this is the fifth year collecting for St. Mary’s Food Pantry. “I think it’s important for every student to get involved with service projects like this. It opens students’ eyes to the variety of people who need assistance every day. Likewise, it sets them on a trajectory to feel comfortable volunteering and giving back to our community,” said Mrs. Dufour St. Mary’s Food Pantry is a non-profit organization that serves the communities of Lewiston and Auburn. Not only do they provide emergency food assistance but they also provide nutritional cooking classes and educational opportunities that allow clients to stretch their food dollars. For more information or to make a donation please contact Joyce Gagnon, at 207.513.3841 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 and 11 a.m.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 20:18:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015