On Tuesday, Nov. 17, the Two Rivers Community School’s kindergarten class donated 22 turkeys to the Hospitality House in effort to fill Thanksgiving food boxes for families in need.
“This is amazing. To see young hearts give and really understand their impact on our community,” says kindergarten and Two Rivers founding teacher, Vicki Krueger. This action is not simply an experience for her students; it’s a lesson in giving, service, and empathy.
“I feel love for the people we helped. Yesterday they didn’t have food. Today they do,” says kindergartener Wyatt Ellis.
Ms. Vicki ties these types of experiences into her ‘Who Am I in the Community’ project. The project involves a series of off-campus field studies to local businesses and on-campus visits from community members helping students grasp the dynamic structure of our community and the roles they play. This is where the idea of donating turkeys to Hospitality House was born.
Earlier this month, Todd Carter, the Hospitality House Development Director, visited the Two Rivers kindergarten to be a Mystery Reader; an opportunity for community members to interact with Two Rivers’ students by reading their favorite childhood stories. During that interaction the kindergarten class developed the idea to do something special for the Hospitality House this holiday season.
The idea fit well with the school’s annual food drive, which is supported by the neighboring Food Lion on Old US 421. The kindergarten visited Food Lion earlier in the year to meet store employees and to learn their roles. This annual interaction opened up the conversation of how Food Lion could make a bigger impact at Two Rivers and the community.
Instead of Food Lion donating canned goods towards this year’s food drive they awarded the kindergarten a $150 gift card. This was all the class needed to make a difference. Through collaboration with Hospitality House Food Service Coordinator, Allison Jennings, the class decided to purchase turkeys.
“This season we have plenty of corn, cranberry sauce, and other canned goods, so to receive 22 donated turkeys was critical to filling our Thanksgiving food boxes,” says Jennings.
Two Rivers Community School regularly emphasizes service learning, which is at the center of this experience. The kindergarten class walked to Food Lion, picked out the turkeys, and then helped load them for transportation to Hospitality House. Through this experience the students gain a sense of responsibility to community welfare and continue to develop into compassionate and empathetic citizens. A big thanks to the Food Lion Feeds program and Hospitality House for helping coordinate the effort and make the High Country a wonderful place to love and live.
Founded in 2005, Two Rivers Community School is a tuition-free, K-8, public charter school based in Boone, NC. The Two Rivers curriculum challenges students with dynamic learning experiences both in and out of the classroom. Academics are at the core of every opportunity provided with the expectation that students grow in both character and in intellect during their time at Two Rivers. This year the school’s enrollment is 177 students with openings still available until January.
If you would like to learn more about Two Rivers Community School, please contact Ryan Robinson at 828-262-5411 or email at rrobinson@trcsboone.org.
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