Posted on GoErie.com by Erica Erwin on January 29, 2015
McDowell High School freshman students in the Leadership Class of the McDowell Honors College display food collected while participating in the Lead2Feed program that engages young people in solving hunger issues. The students are, from left, Madison Niemenski, 15, Tori Berlin, 14, Eric Adams, 14, Jared Fisher, 14, Madeline Cacchione, 15 and Olivia Minichelli, 15. GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS
It’s a math equation to be proud of.
Students in Jason Markiewicz’s leadership class at McDowell Intermediate High School collected $849.88 to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania.
Each of those dollars spent by Second Harvest can buy about seven pounds of food, according to the food bank; at retail price, the same seven pounds of food would cost about $17.
The class raised money — and collected more than 500 nonperishable food items — as part of Lead2Feed, a service-learning program that aims to teach students leadership skills through service to their community.
As a result of the students’ efforts, the Millcreek Township school was selected as a recipient of the Lead2Feed Leadership Award and awarded $5,000 to obtain technology products for classrooms.
The project will move on to final judging in April, when it will be eligible to win up to $25,000 for a charitable partner and $20,000 for the school.
The project was as much about collecting cans and dollars as it was about education.
“One of our main goals was to spread awareness of how many people actually suffer from hunger,” said Tori Berlin, a 14-year-old freshman. “What we learned is there is a large number of people (in need).”
Madeline Cacchione, 15, was surprised by the result of their efforts: tables lined with boxes of canned and boxed food.
“There are so many people worldwide and just in our community that suffer from hunger,” she said. “We didn’t realize we could do so much as ninth-graders.”
Classmates Ryan Zimmerman and Eric Adams went door to door collecting cash donations.
Another pair collected 275 food items after organizing a gas-card raffle for teachers who donated.
Freshman Jared Fisher spent time volunteering at Second Harvest, 1507 Grimm Drive.
“It was actually pretty enjoyable,” the 14-year-old said. “A lot more people could do it.”
Students in the leadership class, part of McDowell Honors College, are required to complete 20 hours of community service beyond the time spent on the food bank project.
That’s in addition to taking academically rigorous courses and participating in extracurricular activities, other requirements of the class.
“I’m extremely proud of them,” Markiewicz said.
Markiewicz said he planned to deliver the donations to the Erie food bank sometime this week.
Though it’ll be months before he and the students know whether the project is the big winner, Markiewicz already has grander plans for the future.
“To see how much they did, that’s going to be something I want to push further,” he said. “It may be more schoolwide next year.”