Third-grader Reece Fowler working his hot chocolate, coffee and cookie stand Friday, Dec. 23 outside Cory's Valley Market. His father Chad (left) helped him build the stand and his mother Amanda made the 200 cookies that he sold.
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary third-grader Reece Fowler took his class writing assignment to the next level. After selling hot drinks and cookies outside of Cory's Valley Market Dec. 23 and 24, he raised $428 for the Tanzania School Milk Feeding Program, nearly doubling his $250 goal.
Reece wrote a paper about what he could do to help poor people. For his assignment, he chose to make a hot chocolate stand and donate the money he raised to poor people in Tanzania.
"I saw this website [www.heifer.org] and thought it would be a good thing. It just sounded fun to me. I know that [there have] been a lot of bad things happening in Africa and they've [needed] as much help as they can get so I just thought that I could give them that," said Reece.
The Tanzania School Milk Feeding Program is a part of Heifer International, an organization with a mission to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the earth. The organization has been in Tanzania since 1974. It provides milk to nearly 33,000 children ages 10 and younger in 94 schools.
Tanzanian children benefit from the program with improved growth, development, health, nutrition and increased school performance and attendance. The program provides economic growth by creating four jobs for every 26.5 gallons of milk produced and generating a demand for local milk and milk products. This in turn reduces poverty by increasing farmers' income.
Reece came up with the idea for a hot chocolate stand to raise the money for the milk program.
"People really like hot chocolate and stuff in the winter and I thought they would probably buy some," said Reece.
Reece's dad Chad helped him build a wooden stand in less than three hours with materials donated from Timberline Building Materials in Seeley Lake. They built it out of two pallets, four 2X4s, and a sheet of plywood.
Rovero's and Cory's Valley Market donated the beverages and cups. Reece's mom Amanda made cookies that he sold two for a $1 along with hot chocolate and coffee outside of Cory's Valley Market.
"I didn't think I could probably make any more than $250 in two days," said Reece.
Reece under estimated the support he would receive for his project. Selling for just a few hours on Friday, he raised $225.50. On Saturday, he added more than $200. He sold 200 cookies and a pot of hot cider, hot chocolate and coffee. All of the money he raised will be donated to the milk program.
"I'm really grateful that people want to help as much as I do. It makes me feel good and kind of happy because they need money more than we do," said Reece. "I can't wait to do it again next year."
Reader Comments(0)