Food on the 15^th, an award winning community service project that delivers groceries free of charge to economically challenged seniors in Howard County and teaches children about philanthropy, will continue at CMS, jointly, with Pointers Run Elementary (PRES) for the 2009-2010 school year.

Overview: Around the 15^th of each month students, faculty and staff at CMS will be asked to bring in healthy, nutritious, non-perishable DIABETIC foods for economically challenged senior citizens who live just 15 minutes from CMS.  Expired food, glass containers or containers that are dented or bulging can not be accepted.   Students will sort, bag and deliver the bags of groceries directly to the senior citizens’ homes around the third week of each month, along with their parents.
 

This project was created because there are literally hundreds of hungry, economically challenged senior citizens in Howard County.  A major lack of financial resources occurs around the third week of each month when one social security check runs out and before the new one arrives.  Many of these senior citizens are choosing between buying food and purchasing their prescription drugs.  No one should have to make such a choice!  The senior residential building, was chosen because everyone in this building lives on less than $29,100 per year, or as little as $9,000 per year.  Transportation and physical limitations make it difficult for senior citizens to get to food banks.

Food on the 15^th has shown the children positive results, and that children can make a difference in our community.  Parents and children work together on this project, creating more family time and getting the family involved with an objective of exposing children to philanthropy and community service at a young age.  The hope is that they will continue philanthropic endeavors when they are adults and, in turn, teach their children about giving.  It’s wonderful to be able to donate money to organizations, but it is also an incredible feeling to be able to volunteer your time, energy and creativity to a project – especially when it’s a team effort.
 

Results:  The program is going into its fourth year and is an overwhelming success, having recently won the Parent/Teacher Collaboration award from the Howard County PTA!  Over the summer, New Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church on Hall Shop Road in Fulton has supported the program by collecting and delivering food to the seniors.  The 6^th grade at CMS collects food for the diabetic senior citizens and the CMS 7^th grade collects toiletries.  CMS and PRES partnerships with the Coalition of Geriatric Services (COGS) and with families, businesses, scouts, churches and synagogues to make the program a true community effort.  The children are very involved and the senior citizens are absolutely delighted.  To date, Food on the 15^th has delivered over 3,000 bags of groceries and toiletries!  We operate on a $0 budget, as all donations that come in go directly to the seniors because we have no overhead.

We need your help

Our school community has been very supportive, but we now need more assistance from parents with Food on the 15^th for the 2009/2010 school year.  Please e-mail Julie Rosenthal at jrosenthl@yahoo.com if you can assist with any of the following:

• Pick up grocery bags from Roots, affix delivery labels and deliver to CMS
• Help coordinate monthly drivers several times a year
• Sign up to deliver groceries (hopefully with your children) once this year
• Make phone calls to dentists asking for toothpaste, floss, toothbrush donations (once this year)
• Forward donation information to friends, family and neighbors
• Pick up bread (Bread Committee) from grocery stores making donations (several times a year)

Collection and Delivery Dates for 2009-2010

Gift Cards

We are looking for sponsors to donate $10 gift cards to Weis Market for Food on the 15^th so that the senior citizens in our program can purchase fresh meat, dairy and produce products.  The Coalition of Geriatric Services (COGS), a local non-profit 501(c)(3), cashes checks and purchases gift cards in $10 increments to Weis Market.  Donations are tax deductible and 100% of donations go to purchase Weis gift cards as Food on the 15^th operates on $0 overhead.  The senior citizens have transportation to Weis Market, and their food dollars go further here.

To make a donation, make a check out to COGS and mail to Julie Rosenthal at 6608 Forest Shade Trail, Clarksville, MD 21029. 

Thank you to all of the families to made donations for Weis Market gift card last year.  There are too many of you to list here!!  Because of your generosity we were able to deliver Weis Market gift cards along with groceries for most of the months.  Food on the 15^th wishes to thank the following organizations:

Food Collection Sites