43
Dobbins’ Harvest for Hunger project helps needy
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor .On the morning of March 13, Dobbins fourth-graders pushed around a shopping cart to gather canned goods and non-perishables from a group of kindergartners for Harvest for Hunger.
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor.A group of Dobbins students posed near their Harvest for Hunger “giving tree” with a collection of foodstuffs from an early morning collection on March 13. The hands on the giving tree each represent a Dobbins student who has donated to the school’s Harvest for Hunger food drive.
By SARAH FOOR
Dobbins students have been searching their cupboards at home and clearing the shelves at local supermarkets during their Harvest For Hunger food drive March 5-16.
The food drive benefitted the Second Harvest Food Bank and will help feed hungry families in Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana counties during the summer months.
Each morning during the two-week collection period, fourth-grade helpers pushed a shopping cart among students gathered in the school’s all-purpose room. The cart filled each morning with donated goods students brought from home.
Giving was encouraged by hosting theme days, like macaroni Monday, soup Thursday, and canned fruits and vegetable Friday.
Kindergarten teacher Stephanie Mateja helped run the project along with Dobbins principal Cheryl Borovitcky,
“Our themed days offer extra incentive to bring food, but students are free to bring as much as they want each day. We’re just happy to see the kids get involved and really take charge of the project,” Mateja said.
When a student gave a non-perishable food, they were offered a paper hand to sign and an invitation to join Mateja’s giving tree art project. The display gracing Dobbins main hallway is a tree with the paper hands as leaves, showing students who have offered a “helping hand” during the food drive.
“I hope to see every student represented on the giving tree before the food drive ends,” Mateja said.
Mateja and Borovitcky agreed that having students understand the true meaning of giving is one of the ultimate goals of the project.
“It’s a worthy goal to teach our children the importance of helping others in need. Our school has truly rallied together to support Second Harvest through this project,” Borovitcky shared.