PUTNEY — Five years ago, The Grammar School held its first-ever Ski to End Hunger event, raising over $4,000 for the Putney Foodshelf. After a pandemic hiatus, the school brought the event back in early March, with high hopes to match or exceed their first tally.
On March 22, at their weekly All School Meeting, The Grammar School proudly presented a check for $7,630 to Hannah Pick, the Putney Foodshelf's executive director.
“We are so pleased to see the ski event return,” Pick said in a news release. “It's inspiring to watch students skiing with such dedication and purpose. The funds collected are enough to support our purchase of milk and yogurt for nearly a year. This is an economically challenging point in time, with inflation and the reduction of pandemic benefits, so we are seeing increasing numbers of people coming to the Foodshelf. We are committed to being a reliable resource for our community, and we can't thank TGS enough for their support.”
Social responsibility is a key part of The Grammar School's educational mission, and the school has a long history of supporting the Putney Foodshelf. For Ski to End Hunger, students in grades K–8 chose a distance to ski on the school's lower field, then gathered pledges from family and friends, with 100 percent of the funds going to the Putney Foodshelf.
Knowing that food insecurity has increased tremendously in the Putney area in recent years, The Grammar School community worked hard to raise as much money as possible for the Foodshelf - and their efforts paid off.
“We were thrilled to nearly double the amount raised at our first Ski to End Hunger,” said Head of School Nick Perry. “The Putney Foodshelf is a small organization, and these funds will make a real difference. I can't think of a more important lesson for our students than the value of helping others.”
The mission of the Putney Foodshelf is to provide supplemental healthy food to area people in need. They serve approximately 100 households per week through their Open Hours, and their Food4Kids program offers ingredients for easy meals and healthy snacks to 120 students a week at Putney Central School. To make a donation, visit putneyfoodshelf.org.