WESTBROOK – Mary Armstrong’s first-grade class at Congin School has broken into a lot of piggy banks.
The 20 students are raising money through a penny drive for the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland so the shelter can buy linens, dog toys and other items they lost in a recent fire at the Westbrook facility.
In total, the class raised $174.77 in loose change and a few bills and presented it to Kathleen Fobear of the Animal Refuge League when she came to visit Armstrong’s class on Wednesday.
“This is our way of honoring you for doing something good,” Fobear said as she presented the students with a certificate to hang on the classroom wall.
Ryan Howard, 6, got his pennies from his brother, who wasn’t mad either because “it was for my homework.”
“I got my pennies from a jar and I took them out of my dad’s piggy bank. He wasn’t even mad,” said 7-year-old Jackson Young.
Most of the children in Armstrong’s class have been to the shelter and some have even adopted their dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits and turtles from there.
The penny drive started when Hayden Tracy, 7, brought a newspaper article into class about the shelter fire, and the class came up with the idea to raise money. Armstrong decided to focus on pennies and loose change to make it easier on the families.
“We also started it because we felt really bad and wanted to raise money to help,” said Maggie Andrews, 7.
Fobear also gave a presentation to the children about the shelter and proper ways to care for their animals.
Along with the money, students also gave the shelter toys, food and blankets to give to the animals.
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