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1-24-2025 12:08am
WPS Elementary Schools Answer Food Pantry's Call for Help with Districtwide 100th Day of School Donation Drive
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Elementary schools and students of Westwood Public Schools (WPS) are collecting donations for the Westwood Food Pantry from now through Friday, February 7th, as part of a districtwide effort to mark the popular scholastic milestone of 100 days of school, while they also help to fill an important need in the Town of Westwood.
According to Westwood Food Pantry Board Member Maya Plotkin, the idea for the pantry's first such effort of a districtwide elementary school donation drive came about when its Board was brainstorming a way to meet the need for more donations. While the Cub Scouts hold an annual donation drive which goes a long way toward keeping the pantry well stocked for a period of time, both monetary and food donations have seemed lower overall this year, Ms. Plotkin notes. Additionally, past experience has counseled the board that winter into early spring is a time to expect relatively low donation activity, she says.
The board brainstormed for solutions of how to fill the gap. Knowing that the 100th day of school - which falls this year on Thursday, February 6th - is a popular time for activity and celebrations throughout kindergarten to fifth grades, the board hit on the idea to tie a food drive into 100th day celebrations.
Westwood Food Pantry reached out to the Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) at Downey School, Martha Jones School, Pine Hill School and Sheehan School, and was excited to learn that all four of the PTOs at all four WPS elementary schools were willing to help.
Westwood Food Pantry has assigned categories of needed donations for each school to help fulfill, to ensure that a variety of needs are met. At Downey, students are asked to bring cleansing products and select food staples. For example, Downey's kindergarteners are asked to bring soap and body wash, first graders will bring toothpaste, second graders will bring dish soap and sponges, third grade will donate paper towels, fourth graders will donate rice, and fifth graders will bring chicken/beef broth. At Martha Jones, children will bring in canned and dry food. Students at Pine Hill are assigned herbal teas. Sheehan kindergarteners will donate toothbrushes, explains Ms. Plotkin giving a few additional examples.
To add fun and motivation to the 100th Day Food Drive, there will be a competition among the grades at each school to see which grade on each campus is most successful in raising donations for the food pantry. Each school will announce one grade as a winner, and that grade will enjoy a fun prize.
The rules for how to win will be left up to the schools. For example, one elementary school may announce a winner based on highest percentage of student participation within a given grade. Another school may decide to base the competition on highest number of donated items.
While PTOs will come up with ideas for prizes, Westwood Food Pantry will help to find sponsors for them, says Ms. Plotkin. Potential prizes could be a pizza party or a celebration with cupcakes, for example. Something like a pajama party for the winning grade could be an option as well.
“We’re very grateful to the PTOs, students, teachers, Westwood Public Schools, and elementary schools for leaning into this project,” says Ms. Plotkin.
“We can’t do this without the town’s support,” she adds, noting that Westwood Food Pantry runs only because of the donations of items and financial support that it receives.
Ms. Plotkin estimates that the food pantry assists around 75 to 80 families each month. Some recipients of the pantry’s help are aided on a short-term basis, while other families are long-term participants in the pantry's program.
Thanks to Maya Plotkin and Westwood Food Pantry for sharing this news with Westwood Minute.
