East Boston based Project Bread is once again teaming up with Jordan’s Furniture for the annual Holiday Spoons Project fundraiser.
The Holiday Spoons Project has both raised money to help the hungry and taught kids about hunger in Massachusetts for nearly 20 years. Jordan’s is sponsoring the project for the 14th year, matching up to $10,000 in donations and offering a prize for the winner of the overall contest.
“Hunger and poor nutrition have lasting effects on our community. The Holiday Spoon project helps children learn about the issue and how they can be part of the solution,” said Project Bread Executive Director Ellen Parker. “Doing this in a creative and interesting way, as well as teaching them simple things they can do to help, really empowers these kids to make a difference in the world around them.”
The Holiday Spoons Project encourages children of all ages—school groups, youth groups, neighborhood groups, and even families—to get involved, each year, in both raising money and learning about the overall hunger crisis in America. To raise money, children take ordinary wooden spoons; and they make those spoons into a work of art. The children then sell their spoons and donate the profits, which go toward preventing hunger throughout Massachusetts.
To teach children about hunger, Project Bread provides a basic curriculum for teachers, leaders, and parents taking part in the Holiday Spoons Project. The curriculum contains individual lessons that teach children about the basics humans need to survive, who is affected by hunger, the importance of a healthy breakfast, how affording healthy food can sometimes be difficult, ways to help people who face hunger, and more.
Groups of children have until Dec. 18 to send pictures of their spoons into Project Bread to enter the decorating contest. People have until Jan. 6 to vote online for their favorite group of spoons and the winner gets a private screening of a popular film in the Jordan’s IMAX theater.
“We know from individual letters and other feedback that our matching program is an incentive to many teachers and students to try and collect as much as possible and, thereby, donate the maximum amount to Project Bread,” says Eliot Tatelman, president and CEO of Jordan’s Furniture. “We are proud to have been part of the Holiday Spoons Project for 14 years and look forward to continuing to support the effort to raise awareness of hunger in Massachusetts.”