The Turkey Trot has been a time-honored tradition for more than 28 years, in which students from Wiscasset Elementary School collect food items for the Help Yourself Shelf (HYS) Food Pantry. Sheepscot Valley Children’s House and Wiscasset Community Center also participated in collecting donations, which included canned goods, desserts, stuffing, and other non-perishable food items. This year, fourth graders joined the fifth grade to walk the donations to St. Philip’s Church.

WES’ parent teacher organization, Partners in Education (PIE), spearheads the Turkey Trot each year. Parent volunteers sorted the bags for students to carry to the food pantry.  

Gabrielle DiPerri, a volunteer coordinator with HYS, greeted students at the church. She stated, “A chilly but enthusiastic group of students from Wiscasset Elementary School brought an abundance of donations to the Help Yourself Shelf Food Pantry at St. Philip's on the Monday before Thanksgiving as part of their annual Turkey Trot. The effort was organized by Wiscasset Elementary School Partners in Education with donations collected at Wiscasset Elementary School, Sheepscot Valley Children's House, and the Wiscasset Community Center. The pantry's wish list included holiday staples like stuffing, cranberry sauce and canned pumpkin but also included extras like hot chocolate, cake mixes, frostings and everyday needs like macaroni and cheese, pasta, and spaghetti sauce. Over 40 families from Wiscasset and surrounding communities visit the food pantry each week and double that over the holidays. The donated food delivered by the students will help put food on their tables at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the weeks in between.”

PIE provided hot chocolate for the students to enjoy after their delivery.