When fifth grade students at Abram Lansing Elementary School managed to save $1,200 through a bottle and can drive and a rolling skating party, they planned to use it on an end-of-year trip to the Bronx Zoo.
The COVID-19 pandemic and closure of district school buildings changed those plans, but students overwhelmingly decided they wanted to do some good with the money.
In late May, Principal Cliff Bird and the school’s fifth grade teachers – Tina Kellar, Sue Keough, and Adrian Blackman – made monetary donations on behalf of the fifth grade class to local organizations. They included the United Church of Cohoes Food Pantry, Cohoes CAP Pantry (ACAP), and The Schuyler Inn.
Then, during the first week of June, they paid for Pop’s Pizza to deliver dinner to the Cohoes Police Department and all three of the city’s fire stations.
A personal letter was included with each donation and delivery.
“Here at Abram Lansing we are always focused on being HUMBLE and KIND. The students overwhelmingly decided to donate some of their fundraising money to The Cohoes CAP Pantry, knowing that many families right in their neighborhood rely on the food pantry for their everyday needs,” read the letter to ACAP.