Marlborough Students Raise Money For Food Bank For Red Nose Day

MARLBOROUGH, MA—You may have noticed some people with red noses, too.

More than 160 Jaworek Elementary School third grade students and their teachers joined in the movement, sporting red noses on May 24, on international Red Nose Day to raise money for children in poverty.

Red Nose Day is a fundraising campaign started by the organization Comic Relief to bring light and awareness to the difficult topic of childhood poverty, according to the announcement. Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran even wrote a song about it called "What Do I Know?"

Claire Nicholson, a third-grade teacher at Jaworek, first got the idea for her grade’s fundraiser when she read a special insert in the Scholastic News weekly newspaper for kids. The issue included a letter about the Red Nose fundraiser and a huge poster featuring Sheeran’s involvement.

“The team of third grade teachers love the idea of our students learning that they can make a difference in the world, even in small ways. This is a penny drive, and our slogan is Every Cent Counts!”

Jaworek students kicked off the coin drive on May 14 and it continued until May 24. The students during this time visited others at lunch to remind them about the point of the drive.

The students raised $1,017 in ten days, all of it donated to the Marlborough Food Pantry.

“Our students have learned that even an 8 or 9-year-old can make a positive impact on their community. Another valuable lesson they learned is that sometimes in life you may be the one who needs help, and sometimes in life you may be the one who can give help,” said Nicholson in a statement. “We are very proud of our third graders and our caring community.”

Photos submitted, Marlborough public schools