A Million Thanks

We are about to close the chapter on this year's Read to Feed Project. It was another great year filled with lots of books, hours of reading, countless cans and boxes, and hundreds of helping hands. Over 6,000 pounds of food were delivered to the Muskegon Rescue Mission by the outstanding third graders of Twin Lake Elementary School. As this project comes to an end, here are a few last words of thanks to all those involved with this project.

To the Muskegon Rescue Mission: We believe in what you do and are so excited that we had the chance to partner with you again this year. Thank you a million times over for inspiring and modeling for our kids what it means to care for those around us, not just with words, but with actions.

To Meijer Inc.: You did it again. You challenged our kids to bring their best and applauded them when they did. And what a great shopping day you planned for us. From the decorated carts, to the special lanes, to all the extra friendly associates, it’s a day none of us will forget. We are blessed to call you our good friend.

To our additional community partners: Thanks for taking the time to read about our project and respond to the students’ letters. What fun it was for the kids to open your mail. We want everyone to know who you are.

A. C. Stafford & Sons Tree Service
C & I Electric
Cutting Corners
Great Lakes Physical Therapies - N. Muskegon, LLC
Ray's Mini Mart
Jordan Insurance Agency
Witt Buick
RC Productions
Women's Division Chamber of Commerce
Johnson Septic Service
Shelby State Bank
GOODWILL Industries
Perry & Peggy Johnson Family
Northside Heating, Cooling, & Refrigeration Inc.
Kuerth's Disposal & Recycling Inc.
Hometown Creamery
Pompa Do's
The Hearthstone Restaurant
Sam’s Club
Northside Optometry
Calvary Memorial Church
Craig Monette PLC
Famous Foods of Muskegon Inc.
The Coffee House, LLC
General Dynamics
Shoreline Vision
Pratt & Whitney Component Solutions
Clark and Denise Bentley
Jack's Quick Stop
Lisa Panozzo

To our parents: Thank you, thank you, thank you for enduring the countless after-school activities and for signing all those Read to Feed slips. Your encouragement, enthusiasm, and commitment to this project made all the difference. We couldn’t have done it without you. What wonderful kids you have.

To the students, staff, and volunteers of Twin Lake Elementary: Thanks for supporting our school-wide food drive. You helped fill the Mission’s food truck to the very top.

And last, to Twin Lake's incredible third graders: You brought your very best, read lots, and made a big difference. Together as team you read...drum roll please...76,235 minutes outside of school. Way to go. Your teachers are so PROUD! May you always remember that LITTLE KIDS CAN DO BIG THINGS.

To join the Read to Feed effort, please drop off food donations to the Muskegon Rescue Mission at 400 Laketon Ave. You can also visit us online at www.readtofeedproject.blogspot.com to learn more.

On the Airwaves

One of our incredible parents nominated us for Star 108's "Shining Star of the Week." We were chosen. Click below to listen to the interview.

Thanks Mrs. Jensen.

CLICK HERE

WZZM 13 Hero Central

CLICK HERE

Check out this cool link. You might see some kids you know.

More Awesome Community Partners

Thanks goes out to these additional community friends who donated time and treasure to the Read to Feed Project.

Pratt & Whitney Component Solutions
Clark and Denise Bentley
Jack's Quick Stop
Lisa Panozzo

Thanks for modeling the life qualities of compassion and service. What great examples you are to our kids.

Time to CELEBRATE

Pull out the megaphone. Turn on the spotlight. Crank up the music. Shout out loud. IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE. After countless hours of reading, loads of hard work, piles of teamwork, and tons of fun, the reading portion of the Read to Feed Project is finished. We are pleased to announce that the incredible third graders of Twin Lake Elementary together read...drum roll please...76,235 MINUTES. WAY TO GO. Your teachers are so PROUD!

Next on the timeline is the exciting shopping day. Good news, it's this FRIDAY.

We have the NEEDS LIST from the Muskegon Rescue Mission in our hands. The bus (and food truck) are reserved and ready for action. The kids have their LIVE UNITED shirts at school and are ready to shop. Look out Meijer, here we come. Muskegon Rescue Mission, get the shelves ready. Lots of food is coming your way. We can't wait.

67,000 Minutes

The third graders have together read over 67,000 minutes. Stop right now, stand up, and dance! Come on, you know you want to!

More Mail!

The letters continue to pour in.



Thanks to these additional Read to Feed partners:

Kuerth's Disposal & Recycling Inc.
Hometown Creamery
Pompa Do's
The Hearthstone Restaurant
Craig Monette PLC
Famous Foods of Muskegon Inc.
The Coffee House, LLC
Shoreline Vision

Thanks for caring for our community and those in need around us.

Read to Feed BLITZ

Okay. This table is a bit bigger than your kitchen table. And it is overflowing with food! The Read to Feed Food Drive at Twin Lake Elementary has been running the month of March. Thanks to all of the amazing students, families, and staff who have raided their pantries and sent in dry good items. We are so thankful for your help. To finish strong, we launched a BLITZ today. It will run for the next three days. This is your last chance to open the cupboards and send things in. GO, GO, GO.

OUT OF THIS WORLD

Ahhh! Aric, Commander of the Interspace Brigade arrived in third grade this week. He traveled from the planet Ganoob in a cereal box called, "Alien Crisp." He is here to save our planet from the evil Drane, Dorf.

Last night, the third graders stayed after school to read in the libary for an entire hour. They were AWESOME. What great reading. They then traveled back to the classroom (by spaceship) to watch the sci fi movie, "Aliens For Breakfast." Earlier this month, they were able to hear the story read to them in class. It was fun to see the book brought to life on the TV screen.

Library and Movie Night was OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Isn't Getting Mail Fun?

A few weeks ago, the third graders used their persuasive writing skills to compose letters to a number of community businesses and friends, inviting them to join the Read to Feed Project. The letters were dropped off at the local post office, and the waiting began.

The students' hard work and patience is paying off. They are receiving letters at school left and right. Many of the responses are arriving with donations enclosed. VERY COOL. It is a ton of fun to watch the third graders open the mail and cheer as the contents are shared with the entire class. So far to date, we have received over $1,000 in donations. Is that cool or what? That is an additional $1,000 worth of groceries we will be able to purchase for the Rescue Mission. That's something to dance about. YAHOO!

We want to publicly thank our community partners who have donated and supported this project to date. They are:

SLJ Educated Financial Solutions
A. C. Stafford & Sons Inc.
C & I Electric
Cutting Corners
Great Lakes Physical Therapies - N. Muskegon, LLC
Ray's Mini Mart
Witt Buick
RC Productions
Women's Division Chamber of Commerce
Johnson Septic Service
Shelby State Bank
GOODWILL Industries
Perry & Peggy Johnson Family
Northside Heating, Cooling, & Refrigeration Inc.

Thank you a million times over for inspiring and modeling for our kids what it means to care for those around us, not just with words, but with actions.

Keep the mail coming!

30,000 MINUTES

Jump for JOY! The third graders have been reading like crazy. So crazy that they have just reached their goal of 30,000 minutes. Way to go kids. Your teachers are so proud of you.

Even though the goal of 30,000 minutes has been reached, the third graders continue to press on. After a visit from Mrs. Shade from Meijer Inc., the students learned that every 15 minutes they read earns them 45 cents to spend at the store for the Rescue Mission. Stay tuned for an updated total soon.

Iceberg Ahead!!!

Titanic Tuesday was a great success.

Listening to a non-fiction story...





Collecting and recording some cool facts...



Building barges and transporting copper...



Glad to report 100% survivors.

Kick Off

To kick off Read to Feed, we called all of the third graders down to the gym for a game we call, "Read to Feed Relay." The boys and girls were divided into 10 teams. Each team member had to put on a backpack, run to the other side of the gym, fill the backpack with books, and run it back to their team. The next team member had to run it down to the other side and unload the books. This went on until the entire team was finished. What a ton of fun! We challenged the third graders to bring that excitement, energy, and teamwork to our Read to Feed project. Here are some snapshots of the action.





And the winning team is...

Here We Go Again

Tomorrow is the big day. Tomorrow is Day 1 of the Read to Feed Project. This is the third year of the project, and we have high hopes for the new third graders. This year's third grade class is a big one. We have 65 kids between our three classrooms. More kids means more books, more reading, larger goals, and larger amounts of food for the Mission's pantry. The goal set by Meijer Inc. for our students is 30,000 minutes of reading outside of school. It's big, but the kids are ready to go.

We have some fun after-school events planned to encourage this reading. Titanic Tuesday, Read and Gym Night, and M&M Reading Night are just a few on the horizon. We'll keep you updated as the project progresses. Stay tuned for some great snapshots and stories of all the fun.

Before all the excitement and hard work begins, here are a few last words to all those involved:

To the Muskegon Rescue Mission: We believe in what you do and are so excited to partner with you again this year.

To Meijer Inc.: Get ready to see some BIG numbers. We are going to bring it! Books are wide open and we are ready to read.

To our additional community partners: Letters are on their way. Thanks in advance to taking the time to read about our project and consider how you might help.

To our parents: This project brings with it some great life lessons. Help us encourage your kids to give 100% to this project. They will grow in a thousand different ways.

And last, to Twin Lake's incredible third graders: Bring your very best, read lots, have fun, and together let's make a difference.