Another DreamTime author, Kelly Smith (Open Your Heart with Quilting) turned me on to this extraordinary event that happened in her community and that I’d love to see spread to others.
A teacher at a local elementary school organized a “Read to Feed” program with his third-grade class. The goal was for the kids to read a combined 9,000 minutes at home; if they did, then a local grocery store would organize a $500 shopping spree to benefit a food pantry.
The students took the mission seriously and read for a combined 16,900 minutes; the store director was so overwhelmed that he doubled the donation. The children did the shopping themselves, armed with calculators and carts and with the help of mentors, after which they formed a fireman’s line outside the rescue mission to pass the 15 carts’ worth of food––3,459 pounds in all––in to food pantry staff. “We’re definitely feeding more families now,” said the mission director. “The numbers are way up compared to last year.”
Want your kids to read more? Want to support the hungry in your community? Read to Feed could be the answer for you, too!
–– Jeannette Cézanne
www.JeannetteCezanne.com
Open Your Heart with Reading
Posted by: reading, reading books, Opening the heart — jcezanne
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