Through District-Wide Efforts, Mt. Blue Staff and Students Support Community with Over 5,000 Items Donated to Local Food Pantries

FARMINGTON – Each day, students and staff across Mt. Blue Regional School District commit themselves to growth through learning, but more importantly, they realize that learning does not have to be contained to worksheets and tests. 

Realizing there are lessons to be learned in giving back and engaging with their communities, students in almost every school have gone above and beyond to support their communities by giving back through food drives and ongoing assistance programs. 

“Mt. Blue schools are more than places for academic learning. They serve as places of connection and support for students and families facing challenges,” said Superintendent Christian Elkington. 

At W.G. Mallett School, students hand-delivered 803 food items to St. Joseph’s food pantry that they collected during the school’s annual food drive.

Academy Hill School and G.D. Cushing School collected more than 3,200 items during their food drives. Led by Academy Hill Secretary Amy Eustis and Cushing School Kindergarten teacher Heidi Luce, students delivered the items to the United Methodist Church of Wilton.

Mt. Blue Middle School continues to support families through distributing RSU 9 food pantry bags on Fridays and after-school snacks on Mondays through Thursdays.

Students at Cascade Brook School donated to their local food pantry in November 2025. Grade 5 students counted the items and created graphs as part of their math curriculum, facilitated by teacher Tina Davis.

Cape Cod Hill School has distributed between 25 and 31 weekend food bags from Anita’s Hope to students every week. Additionally, Farmington Food Pantry has donated 10-11 premade food bags each month for students to distribute, which include non-perishables, fresh produce and meat.

And when a local food pantry was having problems delivering food to those in need, Foster Career and Technical Education Center (FCTEC) students and staff volunteered to assist with food delivery during a local shortage, and then later organized a major food drive.

But they didn’t stop there. FCTEC also organized a fundraiser, generating $698 in donations and 1,070 donated food items. Between monetary donations and the value of food items, the overall value of donations is $1,768 and counting as donations continue to pour in. Each time a student donated a food item, they received a ticket to vote for a staff member to receive a pie in the face at the next assembly. 

With their efforts, students assembled 103 meal bags, each including a larger dinner meal, a lunch meal, two breakfast meals, and snacks. 

District-wide, over 5,000 individual food items have been donated to local food pantries, plus monetary donations, meal bags, and lifelong lessons of the importance of giving back to the community. The efforts of students and staff uphold Mt. Blue’s mission to support children academically, socially and emotionally. 

“When we invest in our students’ well-being outside the classroom, we are investing in their success inside the classroom,” said Superintendent Elkington. “These programs ensure that our students arrive at school with the confidence they need to succeed.”