Students help Feed-A-Family
Published 10:59 am Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sixth-graders at Ellis Middle School picked up shovels, toilet bowl brushes and their bedroom floors for needy families at Christmas.
Their “chores” benefited Hy-Vee’s Feed-A-Family program, which collects donations to provide families with Christmas meals.
According to EMS social studies teacher Michael Veldman, students raised $480 by working for donations at home — “cleaning bathrooms or shoveling” — and by even chipping in from their own savings.
Veldman called the fundraiser “an opportunity to earn money and help a family.”
Parents were required to provide their signatures to prove the students completed chores to earn their donations.
Many students contributed from their own savings. One student even gave half of his $200 winnings from the VFW Patriot’s Pen essay contest. Veldman said his favorite story from the experience is when a student said he had a Nintendo Wii and a loving family at home.
“I think any kid who has that could give $20,” he told Veldman.
Every $10 raised for Feed-A-Family actually donates $30 (with the help of company contributions) for one family’s dinner.
More than 600 families were handed grocery bags Monday at Hy-Vee.
Hy-Vee assistant manager Mike Silvis said the $480 donation from EMS provided 48 families with meals.