Ethan Hoagland
Hundreds of boxes of cereal came toppling down on Friday, Nov. 17 at Hawthorne Elementary School, as kids chanted and cheered: “Knock down hunger!” It’s part of a food drive by the same name, where kids at the school gathered cereal and “milk money” to donate to families in need. The cereal and “milk money” will be distributed to the Sweet Home Emergency Ministries Food Bank.
“This has been a great experience,” Principal Mark Looney said, after his head was shaved as part of the celebration. “The kids have absolutely enjoyed bringing stuff in to give to others. And it’s all about giving to the community.”
To celebrate their success, the kids got to head out to the recess area where the boxes were lined up domino-style, ready for a tip to knock them all down. The tip was provided by teacher Brittany Kauffman.
The spirit of giving was mixed with friendly competition to keep the kids engaged. Each class competed against each other, while donation milestones unlocked fun opportunities for the kids. Since they met all their goals, they not only got to shave the principal’s head and knock down the boxes, they also got to see some of the staff pie each other in the face, while teacher Serenity Wilson performed a turkey rap. Finally, for reaching more $1,000 in donations, the kids got to be the subject of a silly string ambush by faculty and staff.
“My wife is a little upset, because we’re supposed to have family photos this weekend,” Looney said of his shaved head. But he said it was worth it.
All told, the kids gathered more than 600 cereal boxes to donate to SHEM. Looney said they had the idea to donate cereal instead of canned food after the food bank told them they could really use the boxed breakfast food.
In its second year, the Knock Down Hunger drive is spearheaded by Kauffman, whose class gathered the most cereal boxes, and kindergarten teacher Amber Rosa.