Shields collects food items for families in need

Remembering the school’s efforts in years past, Shields Elementary School fifth-grader Billy Petrone had the idea to collect food for local families in need.

He rallied together a team of classmates and formed a committee to organize, promote and execute the month-long initiative.

“I was really proud of all the work that they did together to put this service project in place,” said Malorie Tartal, Shields fifth-grade teacher. “The committee did a lot of the legwork in organizing the event, but we could not have had the success we had without the help of the entire school.”

The food collection took place throughout the month of October. Organizers encouraged students at all grade levels to donate food to the cause. Food included things such as canned goods, cereals, pasta, Thanksgiving dinner items, Ramen noodles and a plethora of other goods. Once organized, some of the food will be delivered to families in need at Shields Elementary, and the remaining food items will be donated to the Milton Community Food Pantry and the Food Bank of Delaware.

“Our goal this year was to collect 1,000 items,” said Petrone. “We actually collected 3,010 items, which tripled our goal.”

“Not only was this event a great success for the students at Shields, but it also inspired the fifth-graders to plan more service projects through the school year. They’ve enjoyed planning and executing this event, and as their teacher I look forward to seeing what they are able to do next,” said Tartal.