Spurwink Students Turn Sandwiches into Caring

This summer, students and teachers from Spurwink's Cummings School in Portland were working on their annual project to support a local charity. They decided to raise funds for C.A.R.E. Baskets, a project that provides baskets filled with essential items for families who have a child with cancer in the hospital.

During the summer session, eight Spurwink students took on the fundraising project by taking sandwich orders from school staff and fellow students. They prepared and distributed the sandwiches, raising a total of $300.

“This was a great project for the kids,” said Julia Reno, Spurwink Ed Tech. “They were involved in every aspect - from shopping, preparing the food and selling the sandwiches to buying items for the baskets and presenting them to the charity.”

On October 22, both students and teachers presented the donation to Suzanne Posey from C.A.R.E. Baskets.

C.A.R.E. Baskets contain items such as toiletries, stuffed toys, snacks, journals and gift cards. The initiative was started by Suzanne Posey of Scarborough , whose daughter, Jenna, was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was five years old. Suzanne knew how families were caught off-guard when receiving a cancer diagnosis and how much the baskets would mean.

“The baskets are created with donations from various groups and individuals in the community,” Posey explained. “Our family puts them together and donates them anonymously so they can be distributed by social workers at the Maine Children's Cancer Program.” For more information about the project, contact Suzanne Posey at 318-3328 or visit www.carebaskets.org.

Spurwink Services is a nationally accredited non-profit providing behavioral health and educational services throughout southern and central Maine . To learn more about the agency's programs, visit www.spurwink.org .