When children reach the 3rd grade at Bigfork Elementary School, they spend the year learning plenty of new skills and knowledge, but perhaps most importantly, they learn about community.

So beginning last year, 3rd grade teacher Cory Pierce organized a way for the students to participate in "I love to read" month and participate in their community. Students would give up television, video games and other modern distractions for five days, and instead spend the time playing outside and reading. The students collected pledges for each minute they read, with the money going to help out a Bigfork group.

"Third graders come in and focus on the community," Pierce said. "This is the way we came up with to learn about, connect and contribute to it."

This year the program expanded from just Pierce's class to all 50 or so 3rd graders. The group managed to raise $2,100, which they split into three checks for $700 each that they game to the Bigfork Fire Department, the Bigfork QRU and the Bigfork Food Pantry.

"It's just amazing that so few kids can do so much," said Sue Stuber, who operates the food pantry. Stuber suggested that the students might visit the pantry after food is purchased to get an idea of how big of a difference such a donation makes.

Students Riley Hoveland and Bailey Mueller presented a check to the QRU and agreed that the hardest thing to do was to give up television.

"I usually watch some TV before I go to bed, so that was tough," Hoveland said.

Instead, she read "Nightmare at the Book Fair," and Mueller read one of the popular "Molly Moon" children's novels.