Anyone entering Mrs. Lynn Davis’s fourth grade classroom at the Gallup Hill School would be met by a curious sight: dozens of cows displayed on everything from book covers to the bulletin board. The class of 18 students hasn’t been studying farm animals, however, but rather they have spent the entire month of February working to help reduce world hunger and poverty through a program called Read to Feed.
Read to Feed is a multi-faceted program created by Heifer International, a humanitarian assistance organization founded in 1944. The program gives students the opportunity to learn about different cultures around the world and the challenges that the global community faces in trying to end hunger, poverty, and slow the depletion of natural resources. The students are then challenged to make a difference by reading and earning pledges from family, friends, and community sponsors for how many books they read or hours spent reading. The pledges were donated to Heifer International, which uses the funds to purchase livestock and supply training on how to care for the animal for families in need. The renewable resources that an animal can provide greatly increases the quality of life for the family and ultimately the community.
Ledyard Town Councilor Linda Davis, along with the ReMax Realty Group, helped to sponsor the fourth grade class, challenging them to log a total of 375 reading hours by the end of February. In all, the students were able to raise $500 to donate to Heifer International.
“I know that we really helped a family and all we had to do was read, which I love!” said student Tricia Tolles.
Through initiatives such as Davis’, Heifer International has been able to provide sustainable assistance to more than eight and a half billion families in more than 125 countries around the world. For Davis, the program seemed a perfect fit for her classroom, from both a humanitarian and educational standpoint.
“I wanted to encourage my students to increase their reading at home because research shows that students who read for enjoyment at home score better on standardized tests,” Davis explained. “But I wanted to give them a more tangible reason to read. This program offered a real way to make a difference.”
To learn more about Read to Feed and Heifer International, visit www.heifer.org or call 1-800-422-0474.