Dozens of families in need will have turkey dinners this Thanksgiving, thanks to the efforts of fifth-graders at North Sashabaw Elementary.
‘We’re doing a service learning project, Kids 4 a Cause,? said student Hannah Jelinek. ‘It’s our first fundraiser ? a Thanksgiving food drive for Lighthouse.?
‘Lighthouse gives food to people that need help,? said classmate Brian Mendiola.
Students in fifth-grade teacher Ann Krause’s class decided themselves on Kids 4 a Cause as their name, and Cluck for a Buck for their fundraiser, said student Rachel Darin.
‘A bunch of kids in class came up with ideas and we voted on them,? Darin said.
‘We donated 25 turkeys,? said Aaron Patterson, fifth grader. ‘We made it into a math problem ? if every fifth grader bought a turkey (decoration), then we could get 25 turkeys.?
For $1 donations, students decorated turkey cutouts and hung them in the hallways of the school.
They donated the 25 turkeys and fixings Nov. 8 to Connie Stapleton of Lighthouse North.
They also collected and donated paper sacks, which they decorated with poems and pictures, said student Samantha Wood.
‘Paper bags are like gold (for Lighthouse),? Wood said. ‘They hold more food than plastic bags.?
They collected 230 bags in two weeks, she said.
The students earned T-shirts for their efforts.
‘We got our shirts today ? we’re really excited,? said Karina Ramirez.
Academic service learning projects combine classroom and community service, Krause said.
‘It gives kids a sense of what it is like to help others while learning, and become better people in the long run ? I’m very proud of them,? she said.
Cluck for a Buck is the first of several activities planned this school year to help Lighthouse, she said.