The students of New Academy Canoga Park, a Title 1 School in the San Fernando Valley, CA, are excited about giving to children in need.
Since the beginning of their Fall 2015 school term, they have volunteered six times at Children’s Hunger Fund’s distribution center in Los Angeles.
Their volunteering efforts are part of this year’s program called One School One Book #adventuresbeyondthepages which includes reading Liesl Shurtliff’s JACK: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Since the main character in the book is often hungry, raising meals for hungry children was a natural connection.
In order to do this, the students donated their Halloween candy to Adventure Dental, a local dentist who paid them $1 per pound. The candy goes overseas to support our troops through Operation Gratitude.
Kelly Spector, the school librarian, commented, “To kids, candy is currency! They really sacrificed in giving that up.”
In return for 374 lbs on sweets, they received $374 that they could use however they liked. But for the last two years, they have donated their candy money to a charity. So, this year, they wanted to do it again. They decided to donate their $374 to Children’s Hunger Fund.
But they didn’t stop there. They’re dreaming big this year! They also took over 20 Coin Pak boxes home and collected spare change from family and friends. When the contents of the Coin Paks were counted, they had raised another $395.42.
Together, these dedicated students donated $769.42 to Children’s Hunger Fund.
And a few students are still collecting coins. Better still, some plan to return to Children’s Hunger Fund and volunteer with their families.
Thinking about the whole experience, Spector said, “Seeing their smile of satisfaction for a job well done is well worth its weight in beans. Knowing that the seeds that have been planted for their next adventure in giving have already taken root, warms my soul. And to think, it all started with a book and some students who know not only how to dream big, but how to give back.”
Thank you, New Academy Canoga Park students, for your hearts to serve suffering children!
Volunteer with your students at one of our three distribution centers.
If you’re not near one of them, consider raising meals for children in need with your own fundraiser just like Daniel did.
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