Pentucket Regional School District Launches Holiday Food Drive Initiative; The Good Neighbor Challenge, in Collaboration with Our Neighbors Table

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Dr. Justin Bartholomew is pleased to announce that the Pentucket Regional School District is launching a new initiative for all schools and students: The Good Neighbor Challenge, in collaboration with Our Neighbors Table in Amesbury.

The District has launched this challenge in an effort to come together as a community and support its students, residents, and neighbors who may need assistance ahead of the holiday season. This initiative will also benefit local food pantries, such as Our Neighbors Table, which sees a large need for donations each year during the holidays.  

The new initiative will officially kick off on Monday, Nov. 17, and run through Nov. 21. Students, faculty, and family members of each school in the district will be invited to donate nonperishable food items, which will be distributed to Our Neighbors Table Market. Each school within the District will be collecting items based on three categories:  

• Category 1:  Food or Personal Care items that are NOT on the Most Needed List
• Category 2: Food Items that are on the Most Needed List
• Category 3: Personal Care items that are on the Most Needed List

The most needed food items include canned meals (stew, spaghetti/meatballs, chili, soups with meat), baking supplies, gluten-free foods, healthy snacks, and sugar-free juice boxes. Personal care items being collected include shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, body cleansing wipes, and feminine products.

Each donation will have a corresponding point system based on the category of items that are collected from schools. The point system will be as follows: one point for every $1 collected, one point for items in Category 1, two points for items in Category 2, and three points for items in Category 3. 

Throughout the week, schools will compete to collect the most donations. During the week, donations will be tallied, and the winner of the challenge will be announced on Nov. 24. The contest winner will receive a commemorative plaque to be displayed in the winning school building for all to see. 

“This initiative is an exciting opportunity for Pentucket students, faculty, and families to give those in need a boost and build unity among our District’s three communities and six schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Bartholomew. “I hope, through our collaboration with Our Neighbors Table, that we can help everyone we can through difficult economic times and give them something to enjoy for the holiday season.”

Pentucket previously partnered with Our Neighbors Table during the COVID-19 pandemic, where families in need were invited to the Sweetsir School in Merrimac to pick up food donations. 

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