Whitinsville Christian School fifth grade students received a tour of the Northbridge Association of Churches Food Pantry when they delivered donations on Friday, February 17th. All elementary students collected items over a two-week period, with a goal of donating 800 items. This year, 930 items were donated.
The fifth grade teachers use the annual food drive as a lesson in giving, and as a lesson in math. “Every fifth grader takes a turn counting the items donated in lower classrooms, and recording the number of items per class on a bar chart. That data is used in math class to calculate percentages, mean, median, mode, and range,” said Sheryl Casey, WCS fifth grade teacher.
Each year’s the fifth grade class is also in charge of delivering the food to the food pantry. That process involves carrying the items from the classrooms, quickly sorting it into categories, and unloading the donations at the food pantry where they are given a tour and the chance to ask questions about how it operates.
“The NAC Pantry is devoted to eradicating hunger in our community. We look forward to the WCS 5th graders coming each year,” said Kathy Kane, President of the Northbridge Association of Churches Food Pantry. “We love that not only are they learning to provide hunger relief to their neighbors in need, but they are honing those math skills, too! On behalf the Pantry, I want to thank the teachers, parents, and students for their generosity in coming together to support and ensure food security in our town.”