Swampscott Middle School Charity Dinner: a Delicious Success

SWAMPSCOTT, MA- On Tuesday evening, June 12th, 82 sixth grade students attending Swampscott Middle School prepared and worked passionately for 90 minutes to host the 9th annual charity pasta dinner. They cooked, seated, served, and bussed tables for well over 400 people, guided by their English teacher Mr. Brandon Lewis. Not at a real restaurant, but at a pop-up one in the cafeteria of their school. Guests were greeted by Italian flags, bright streamers wrapped around the pillars, and twinkling mason jars set out on the tables. The students served up salads, authentic pasta with gravy, and ice cream topped with a pizzelle cookie.The food and drink prepared by the sixth graders was supplemented by donations from Paradiso Ristorante, Starbucks, Lightning Coffee Roasters, and Castle Creek Adventure Land. They hosted this event to raise money for the leading hunger relief charity in the country, Feeding America.The students were able to raise a total of $3,814.76 in 90 minutes! According to Feeding America, which states that $1 donated translates to 10 meals in a food bank or soup kitchen, and at the standard three meals per day, this total can feed a family of four for eight years and eight months. The students spent weeks learning about the importance of helping the hungry. After the children were engaged Mr. Lewis trained them to be mature, professional, and at the same time kind-hearted. The students loved getting to participate in this event, and it was a night that they won’t forget. To learn more information on Feeding America and how to donate, click this link to their website.

Article written by Isabella Rakhmanov, 6th-grader at Swampscott Middle School