A.W.B. school’s home and abroad collection helps service personnel, locals

Elementary School students in Selkirk are looking locally and globally when it comes to charitable causes.

The A.W. Becker Elementary School Student Government Organization and a life skills class are collecting donations for soldiers in Iraq and a food pantry in Selkirk.

“The food pantries are in very dire need right now. The staples that they always have they are running low on,” said Life Skills Teacher Lorri McCarthy.

“At the same time, an awful lot of the service men and women get a lot of things at the holidays and this time of year – just when it gets the hottest – the donations start to wane,” she added.

The students are collecting donations throughout April. Community members are welcome to send donations in with students or drop them off at the school during school hours. For more on the collection, click here: http://www.rcscsd.org/4.4.08/Collection_memo.htm

Red boxes are located throughout A.W. Becker for donations to the food pantry. Blue boxes are likewise located throughout the school for donations to service personnel.

McCarthy said the food bank donations were the idea of third grade student Alice Holloway, who brought the concept to her teacher Janice  Burriesci.

“I have always believed that kids should look beyond the classroom to learn about the greater community and to learn how to be a part of the greater world community and to be good citizens,” McCarthy said.

Teacher Deb Conti said the school conducted an assembly last week, during which citizenship was celebrated and the collections – as well as a school recycling effort - were discussed.

McCarthy said that during the assembly, local food pantry representative and Board of Education member Sarah Hafensteiner  told students about the needs of the food pantries and how they help residents.