Gearing up for 2019 Canstructure Contest
Green Valley Elementary 4th Grader, Athena Worley, and her team of nine students have started to do their part in helping to conquer food scarcity and hunger in Berks County. The Hunger Fighters, as they call themselves, are led by Shiloh Hills teacher Sue Wojciechowski (Coach Wojo) and have been actively collecting food for the 2019 Canstructure Competition hosted by VOiCEup Berks to take place at the Berkshire Mall on Saturday, March 16th.
This team of determined fourth and fifth graders have organized two food drives at Redners Markets in Sinking Spring, a food drive at the Grocery Outlet in Shillington, were guests on a BCTV show, and have independently acquired donations from various businesses, organizations, friends, and families. To date they have collected over 1,800 items for a combined total of 2,033 lbs. That’s just over one TON of food in just a matter of a few weeks. The food donations are still coming in.
The Hunger Fighter Team has been meeting every Monday for the past few weeks. During these meetings, the kids learn about food scarcity in Berks County and how hunger can affect so many lives. Under the leadership of Coach Wojo and local engineer, Gretchen Kaag, the children are also learning about the Engineering Design Process and to how to use specific STEM related concepts to plan and design their structure. Each child has had a huge part of this collaborative effort. The Hunger Fighters have counted cans, solicited donations, and educated peers and community members.
The Hunger Fighters hope you CAN make it out to the competition on Saturday, March 16th at the Berkshire Mall from 10-3 to see how students all around Berks County are doing their part to battle food scarcity and help those who are hungry.
VOiCEup Berks, a fund of Berks County Community Foundation and an affiliate of Youth Volunteer Corps, is a local organization dedicated to connecting all sectors of Berks County to volunteer opportunities through service learning. Formed in 2015, VOiCEup is the collaborative effort of a group of experienced volunteers who are committed to the power of service. As an affiliate of Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC), VOiCEup engages youth ages 11-18 in meaningful community service.
For more information, please visit www.voiceupberks.org/canstructure or https://www.facebook.com/voiceupberks
