RUMFORD – Friday’s food drive by the students of St. Athanasius and St. John’s school showed that sometimes it is the children who help the village.

For the fourth straight year, All Saints Day has meant a chance for these students to do something special for many people in the Rumford area.

About 120 children from preschool through eighth-grade brought non-perishable food items to school for donation to their church’s food pantry. Once all the food had been collected, each student became one link in a human chain joining the school and church together.

One by one, the donated cans and boxes were passed along the chain until they arrived at the nearby church. Once there, the items were taken to the food pantry located in the church’s basement where they filled four large shopping carts. The pantry helps people who cannot afford to buy all the food they need.

“The idea for it came from a teacher, Irene Bean, who had done something similar in her home town, Old Town.” said school Principal, Don Fortier. “We chose All Saints Day because it makes sense to do it this time of year, with the holidays coming up.”

Some of this year’s donations will go into Thanksgiving baskets for people who do not have enough money for a real holiday dinner. Thanks to the human chain of students from St. Athanasius and St. John’s, many of those people will have a full basket this year.

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