FOOD BANK HEROES: Denver School of the Arts Student Runs Schoolwide Food Drive Upon Return from Kenya
This month, the Greater Park Hill Community Food Bank gives thanks to two incredible groups who donated 500 pounds of food and $2,000, respectively: Katie Solko and the East High School National Honor Society and Rose & the third grade class at Westerly Creek Elementary School.
Katie Solko traveled to Kenya this past summer with the Bold Leaders organization, a nonprofit that brings high-achieving Sub-Saharan African students to the U.S. and this year, for the first time, took American kids to Kenya to complete the cultural exchange. Before her trip, Katie’s family had participated in the program as a host family, hosting two students from Nigeria and one from South Africa. Her month-long trip to Kenya focused on food security and nutrition. She spent the mainstay in a rural village with no electricity or running water and witnessed food-related issues firsthand. As part of the Bold Leaders program, Katie was required to create a run a project surrounding the themes of her trip. This spring, she connected with the Greater Park Hill Community Food Bank, proposed a food drive to benefit the GPHC bank to her National Honors Society peers, and saw it voted in as a school-wide project. The food drive became a fierce competition between classes and, in under a week, had raised 500 pounds of food. For more information on Bold Leaders, visit boldleaders.com.
Westerly Creek Third Graders Turn Kid Cash Into Food Bank Donation
Last year at Westerly Creek Elementary School, a benevolent family of one third grade student offered to turn the Kid Cash that students earn for good work and behavior into real money, but only if the class agreed to donate it to a worthy cause instead of spend it at the school’s store. The third graders got on board and pooled their Kid Cash to benefit a group home for children in Denver. In a Front Porch newspaper article reporting this event, a request was made for additional sponsorship, spurring a Park Hill resident who prefers to simply go by Rose to become a permanent sponsor of the third grade class’ efforts. The first beneficiary was the SAME Café. This spring, the Greater Park Hill Food Bank was the recipient of $2,000. To kick off the donation drive, Food Bank manager Sandra Henderson addressed the students about how their donation would impact their neighbors and community. According to teacher Mary FaJohn, the students were so excited that donations came pouring in and they were able to meet the $2,000 goal in less than two weeks.
The Park Hill Branch Library has started accepting non-perishable food items on behalf of the GPHC Food Bank during their normal hours. For more information on the GPHC Food Bank, contact Russell Bell at gphcfoodpantry@gmail.com or 303-388-0918.