The King’s Academy’s upper elementary school students have partnered with Heifer International’s Read to Feed program, and the fourth graders were thrilled to surpass their first goal of 14,000 pages before Thanksgiving.
They have been busy reading books toward the goal of improving the lives of families around the world.
The program helps students support families in need by providing animals that produce food and fertilize crops. As a result of the fourth graders’ accomplishments, a flock of chicks has been purchased on their behalf and will be sent to a family in a country where the needs are great.
The family who receives the chicks will receive caretaking training in order to produce hundreds of eggs in the future. Having eggs will not only provide nutrition for the family, but will also assist monetarily for medicine, a more secure shelter and the ability to attend school once the eggs are sold in markets.
“The Read to Feed Program is important because it will give people the food and things they need to live,” student Blake Worley said.
Principal Adam Miller first introduced the idea to TKA. “I wanted our students to do something meaningful that would accomplish several objectives,” he said. “Reading is a great benefit to them as lifelong learners. Developing a reading program that helps others around the world is a great benefit for the global community.”
The students have moved on toward their second goal, while fourth and fifth graders are reading boldly to provide families with a goat and a heifer.
