Schools
Middle School Students Fight Hunger [Videos]
Sixth graders at the Middle School put on a dinner with the help of local merchants to raise money for the needy and raise awareness of the hunger problem across the globe.
With a goal of raising $1,800 to fight hunger Tuesday night, the sixth graders at the Swampscott Middle School went above and beyond that total, raising $2,600 in the school cafeteria.
“It was great, we blew our original total right out of the water,” teacher Brandon Lewis said. “It’s easy to raise money around the holidays, but we wanted to do something during this time of year, before school gets out, and we were incredibly successful.”
Lewis teaches Language Arts at the Middle School, and helped organize the second dinner to benefit FeedingAmerica.Org with Social Studies teacher Pam Larson.
Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Larson has been teaching in town for over 25 years, Lewis is finishing up his third year in Swampscott.
“The kids are surprised that it’s not homeless people who are hungry,” Larson said. “Many middle class families across the country have a tough time putting food on the table.”
Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Chef Maureen Kellett, who runs the school cafeteria helped put Tuesday night’s meal together. Guests dined on a garden salad, Italian bread, and pasta with homemade marinara sauce and meatballs.
If there was any room left over, desert consisted of ice cream with chocolate sauce and cookies.
The teachers and students got a big assist from the folks at the Port Hole Pub, Café Paolina and Richardson’s Ice Cream.
“The donors have been great, really, really helpful, this year and last year,” Larson said. “And the sauce from Café Paolina is wonderful.”
Many people don’t realize that the summer months are especially difficult for the needy. Many families count on their children being fed at school, and when school gets out, they lose that option and have to scramble to put food on the table.
According the Feeding America website, over 50 million people across the country are facing hunger, and with some social programs being cut, that number is likely to increase.
“The kids have been great, they’ve really done a great job helping to raise money to fight the hunger problem with these dinners,” Lewis said.
If you would like to learn more about Feeding America, get information about local food banks, or to donate, check out their website, www.feedingamerica.org.
