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The Progress |
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| Pay It Forward - Students help others, learning in the process Monday, June 02, 2008 By Gae Kane Staff Writer What is a family to do to keep up with their children's appetites? Parents want to provide a healthy diet, offering nutritious foods in appropriate serving sizes. But, with the increasing economic pinch that most area families are experiencing, this can be a tough task. Clearfield Area Middle School students in Brenda Kennedy's classroom recognized the continually rising demand for help for families facing economic constraints. Based on the students' experience with the Clearfield Area Ministerium and Curwensville food pantries, where they routinely volunteer, the students devised a way to help by "paying it forward." The Pay It Forward concept is based on a book written by Catherine Ryan Hyde that was later made into a movie of the same name. The premise behind Pay It Forward is that people can make a difference in the world, and nothing is beyond the realm of possibility. Rather, a chain reaction can be set into motion that spreads acts of profound generosity between strangers, in which each demonstrate an act of faith in the overall goodness of people. In every instance, the recipient is simply asked to honor a stipulation that they help three other people do something they can't accomplish for themselves. Because the students in Ms. Kennedy's classroom understood the need behind the Clearfield Area Ministerium Food Pantry, located in the basement of Trinity United Methodist Church, the food pantry seemed to be a perfect candidate for the Pay It Forward campaign. The students wanted to do something of value while in turn challenging themselves to do more. The impact of their heartfelt idea reflects the premise of the Pay It Forward campaign. Robin Clark, manager of the food pantry, acknowledged the increasing need the students recognized. Ms. Clark noted she began to see a steady increase in demand at the same time government subsidies began to dwindle. Ms. Clark reported that in July 2007 an average of 189 families were served; by February 2008, the food pantry was serving 451 families. In March, 140 families were served during the first week alone. Between the Clearfield and Curwensville food pantries some 761 families are served. During The Progress' recent Pay it Forward contest, Ms. Kennedy's students stressed in their application that the food pantry's state subsidy has been exhausted due to increasing demand and that no more help will be coming until July. At the moment, Ms. Clark said the pantry is depending on funds received during the holiday season to support the additional needs, but these funds are quickly disappearing. Even when funding is received in July it still won't meet area needs. The state allocation currently provides funding for only 100 families, leaving a serious deficit that must be met through local food donations. Regardless of how or where the food comes from, there still won't be enough to go around. Working under the direction of Transition Coordinator Diane Bernardo with Central Intermediate Unit No. 10, Ms. Kennedy's students are gaining a host of life skills. The students use local Area Transportation Authority buses to travel between school and the food pantry where they focus on sorting items, stocking shelves, planning nutritious meals and bagging food for clients. Because the students have to keep tabs on the shelves, they are keenly aware of the inventory and the limited ability of the food pantry to serve clients. In turn, the students have also gained practical skills that help them plan and shop for balanced meals, learn how to budget and handle money and then learn to prepare the food. Through the students' hard work they recognized that the food pantry helps the community at large, but they wanted to raise awareness that the food pantry itself needs help so it can help others. In return, the students have become integrated into the community while they are mastering a wide range of critical skills and have the opportunity to practice job skills. More importantly, the students have learned they can make a difference in their community and the lives of area residents. |
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