Glencliff students are helping alleviate hunger ― 50 pages at a time

At the end of each school day, a team of fifth-graders wheel a shopping cart around the school, collecting donated food items from the “We ‘Can’ Help” boxes located outside each classroom.

Glencliff Elementary students are helping put a dent in local hunger by reading.
K-5 students are collecting one can of food for every 50 pages they complete and donating the items to the Schenectady Inner City Ministry (SICM) Emergency Food Pantry during a month-long read-a-thon, called Neighbor-Helping-Neighbor.
At a school assembly in early March, representatives from the SICM explained to students how they provide food to impoverished people and low-income families in Schenectady County. “Students learned that the food pantry relies on contributions from individuals and community groups for food donations, supplies, money and volunteers,” said teacher Cindy Battiste, who helped organize this combination reading incentive and food drive.
Battiste said the goal is to collect as many cans of food as possible, and at the same time, encourage students to read outside the classroom. Students may read books on their own or with help from parents or family members. Students track the number of pages they read daily on a calendar. After each 50-page increment, students color a house or a person that becomes part of a large cutout community display posted throughout the hallways of their school.
The Neighbor-Helping-Neighbor read-a-thon will culminate in two exciting events later this spring. Glencliff’s K-2 students and their families are invited to “read-to-feed” night on Thursday, April 19, during which students may wear their pajamas, enjoy a bedtime snack of milk and cookies, and have a chance to win prizes — while listening to stories read by a special guest.
Students in grades 3-5 will learn more about food pantry operations and will also help staff and volunteers with daily tasks during a field trip to the SICM’s new larger facility.
Fifth-grader Laura DiRienzo is an avid fan of Nancy Drew mysteries, while her classmate Mark Rotondi, pictured right, prefers science fiction — but both students are looking forward to the upcoming field trip and to helping their neighbors.

(March 2007)