'These kids rock'
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 5 years, 10 months AGO
Courtesy photo Greensferry Elementary fourth-grader Garret Hall and third-grader Shelby Muir sort through food donations for the Post Falls Food Bank. Elementary and kindergarten students in the Post Falls School District collected a total of 10,420 pounds of food and $1,731 for the nonprofit.
Ponderosa Elementary fifth-grader Jet Zobell, the school's student council president, speaks to food drive judge and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Warren Merritt about his school's "hunger heroes" theme to generate donations for the Post Falls Food Bank. (BRIAN WALKER/Press)
By BRIAN WALKER
Staff Writer
POST FALLS — Special helpers ranging from "hunger heroes" to "dancing dinosaurs" have closed out their school year with a bang by giving the Post Falls Food Bank a boost heading into summer.
Students from the five elementary schools and kindergarten collected 10,420 pounds of food and $1,731 for the nonprofit to help fight hunger.
"These kids rock," said Mark Jones, the event's organizer and former food bank board member. "We had outstanding participation from all of the schools."
As part of the K-5 Food Drive Challenge, each school also presented spirit themes that were judged and to rally on more donations.
The University of Idaho's Eat Smart program was also involved to add an educational component on healthy choices.
"I believe that it is important to donate healthy food to the food drive that gives people energy," said Shenee Schaffer, a student at Ponderosa Elementary.
"Fruits and vegetables keep people's heart from stopping."
Ponderosa student Kolton Elkington agreed it's best to stick to healthy food on donations for those in need.
"If everyone brought candy for the food drive the poor people would die," he said.
Ponderosa's Lucy Ayon said eating smart choices such as produce, tuna and dairy products makes you a "healthy hero," which was her school's theme.
"If you have too much sweets or chips, you'll get a stomach ache," she said.
Jones said the food drive is well-timed because students will be home for the summer.
"Being home means the need for food is a little greater," he said. "The food bank sees an increase in traffic during the summer for families."
Prairie View won the Taking on Hunger Award for generating hunger awareness through its dancing dinosaurs theme.
Ponderosa earned the Eat Smart Award, Frederick Post Kindergarten the Most Pounds Collected Award with 3,130, and Mullan Trail the Spirit Award with a Dr. Seuss theme.
Earlier in the school year, Post Falls High students collected 1,635 pounds of food during Spirit Week. Post Falls and River City middle schools collected 1,050 pounds during the "Souper Bowl" drives.
