Farmin Stidwell students aid BGH patients

There is nothing greater than receiving heartfelt gifts from children during the holidays, something Bonner General Health officials learned first-hand recently after Farmin-Stidwell fifth graders selected the Sandpoint hospital for a community service project. 

Farmin Stidwell teacher Rebecca Benoit said the idea came from the students’ “what I need” time during the school day. It was during this time that Benoit asked the students to focus on a service project for the community and asked them to look at areas of need.  

Several projects were chosen including creating care baskets for individuals in the hospital, from children to adults. The baskets held carefully curated items to make anyone feel better, including a felt blanket, various games, books, candy and other items.  

Benoit had each project group research the organization they chose and create a spreadsheet with all the necessary tasks to complete their mission and the estimated cost. In order to pay for the chosen items, they held a popcorn sale to raise the funds. Their fundraising efforts were successful and 15 beautiful baskets were delivered to the hospital. When asked what the students thought, Benoit said several responded, “It makes you feel good to do good things.”   

Bonner General Health CEO John Hennessy said, “It is always great to see our young people learning about our community, including thinking about those in need. We sincerely appreciate these beautiful baskets, and our patients will be happy to receive them.”