In collaboration with the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank and Mrs. Rachel Freggiaro’s library classes, students at Herberich Primary School brought smiles and joy to seniors in the community. Every month the Akron Canton Food Bank sends Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Boxes with shelf-stable items specifically made for low-income seniors in the community. The boxes have about 25-30 lbs of food each month, including canned fruits and vegetables, fruit juice, cereal, beans, pasta, canned protein, and cheese. The Akron Canton Regional Foodbank will distribute 1700 boxes a month! In 2022, the food bank sent out more than 20,000 CSFP Boxes to seniors in the community.
Mrs. Freggiaro’s husband works for the Food Bank. He expressed that the seniors feel valued in the community when they receive the decorated food boxes.
With the help of her husband, Rachel brought the boxes to Herberich Primary School for her students to decorate. The students participated in a lesson on food insecurity by reading a book and discussing the story.
The next day, students in each of her classes decorated one box. The students colored the boxes with crayons, markers, and colored pencils with rainbows, flowers, and food with smiling faces.
“All of the students loved spending time decorating the boxes. They even asked when they could do it again,” explained the library teacher. “Drawing on these boxes helps put smiles on the faces of struggling seniors in our community.” Many seniors who receive these boxes do not have much family and are homebound, sick, or disabled.
The response from the seniors has been overwhelmingly positive, and they are excited to receive these decorated boxes.
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