Burlington students learn by serving the community
WCAX – Burlington, Vermont – November 18, 2010
‘Tis the season, to give back.
“I love donating to other cats and animals and people who don’t have homes. It’s really fun,” said Alida Beste, a fifth-grader at Champlain Elementary School in Burlington.
So Alida and her classmates voted to help the Humane Society of Chittenden County during the school’s Day of Service.
“We want to make sure we’re giving back to people especially within our own home town our own city. To go and see what we’re doing, to make that better. So I think it is important to show them that this early,” said Ashley Francke, a teacher at Champlain Elementary.
The class created dog bones and creative cat toys for animals in the shelter.
“So they can enjoy staying there until someone can adopt them,” Alida explained.
Across town another group of Champlain students celebrated their Day of Service at the area food shelf.
“It’s pretty exciting to see everybody donating, knowing they are making a meal for people,” said Alisha Babcock-Hamblin, a fifth-grader.
Students unloaded hundreds of food item donations they collected from area neighborhoods. From turkeys for the holidays to boxed goods. Operations will then measure and weigh all of the food that’s been donated by the students to determine how much of a contribution they’ve made. And each pound counts.
“Two thousand, two hundred and fifty-nine I believe,” said Ella Lewis-Vass, a fifth-grader.
It’s a record for the elementary school and much needed for the food shelf, which should serve roughly 40 families.
“We have more families coming through than ever before,” said Rachel Moss of the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. “So what you see on the shelves today is going to be different from what you see on the shelves tomorrow. So we’re moving through food at a pretty fast rate here.”
Which makes the Day of Service, well worth it.
Melinda Davenport – WCAX News
