Preschoolers Put 'Sweat Equity' into Giving Lessons

Warren's Primrose School completed its Caring and Giving Can-A-Thon event Thursday, capping a lesson for the preschoolers on not only helping out others with work and donations, but also a chance to see what happens to all the donated food. 

"Rather than a traditional can food drive, we asked for both parents' and children's involvement on multiple levels," owner Burt Eng said. "We asked that the children in our Pre-K and Kindergarten perform simple, age-appropriate chores at home to earn money from their parents to purchase canned food and non-perishable food items to donate to the Food Bank in Bridgewater."

He said the students swept floors, set dinner tables, and made their beds to earn the donations. 

But the lessons didn't end there: the school arranged to have the students join in purchasing the food items that would be donated, with a field trip to the A&P grocery store—then took them to watch as everything was dropped off at the food bank.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for the children to see the impact of their hard work at home and be directly involved with providing necessary help to those in need," Eng said.

Thursday morning, about 10 youngsters climbed about the school's bus, which was loaded up with the food donations, and road to the Bridgewater food bank, where Food Bank Director Maria Scannell greeted them and thanked them for their hard work and donations.

Eng said the project fit the school's efforts at teaching with "hands-on" lessons whenever possible.