One of a number of interesting educational initiatives nationwide by and for kids is the Kids Feeding Kids Program undertaken by 26 Students from the Dobson and Copeland elementary schools’ Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) program in Dobson NC. Dobson NC, by the way, is near legendary (mythical?) Mt Airy, NC, home of the Andy Griffith Museum. This is Mayberry R.F.D. country!

And in the best traditions of Mayberry R.F.D.’s good neighbors, the elementary students in the program are urged to study about the underprivileged and the just plain unlucky and then work up a plan to feed the kids found in these situations. Their teachers hope this study will inspire their sense of social responsibility as well as giving them a background in the real-world art of smart grocery shopping.

The kids in the program are next tasked with earning at least ten dollars by doing chores for their parents and neighbors. (Wow! The Mayberry spirit is not dead!) The ten dollars is then applied to their grocery shopping. They are urged to purchase foods they think the kids without money might like--not to include cookies and candy bars. The idea is to educate these young students about foods that are nutritious, not simply yummy!

In the grocery aisles, money and calculators in hand, the students’ final task is to get the most nutritious groceries at the least expense by studying prices, weights and measures and coupons. This required math lessons in how to use coupons and figure tax and compare brands. One valuable lesson would come from learning that reading product labels is a science in itself!

Kudos to Dobson, NC, for promoting community action, instilling  a sense of social responsibility in its schools and teaching math in a way that demonstrated its importance to these students real lives. These are lessons they likely will never forget thanks to the creative effort of Dobson and Copeland elementary schools. Sheriff Andy Taylor would be proud of his neighbors!