Diane Formoso, left, accepts food donations from Tami Shadduck, right, and members of the Dower Elementary School student council. Food will be used to fill food baskets for the annual Caring for Kids Holiday Fair.
By Jayme Taylor, Communication Manager, Clover Park School District
Families and staff from Dower Elementary School hosted a holiday food drive on behalf of Caring for Kids, a local non-profit charity that supports students and families in Clover Park School District. Over the course of 12 school days, 2748 food items were donated.
To boost participation, Tami Shadduck, Dower’s health clerk and organizer of the event, turned the food drive into a competition between classes.
Fred Macias’ first-grade class donated 1,195 food items and won a lunchtime pizza party.
“The food drive was a great way for us to work together as a school,” said Shadduck. “It’s such a nice feeling to know that we’ve helped some of the families in our community so that they can have a happier holiday. Helping people in need is an important lesson for our students, who were very excited about donating.”
Diane Formoso, founder of Caring for Kids, visited Dower to thank the students and staff and collect the food, which will be distributed along with hams and potatoes in food baskets at the annual Holiday Fair Saturday, Dec. 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hudtloff Middle School. For more information about the fair, or to volunteer your time, visit www.carekids.org.