Looking for a way to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, kids at Prides Corner School dug deep into their piggy banks to donate to disaster relief.

Kids in Sally Plourde’s second-grade classroom helped spearhead the project, coming up with the slogan “Prides Corner cares,” and urging each class to donate to the American Red Cross disaster relief fund.

Plourde said kids came up with a variety of ways to raise money. She said some kids collected bottles and donated the deposit money to the effort. Some industrious kids took on extra chores around the house to earn money to donate and some kids brought in money that they had been saving for themselves. Plourde said many parents also sent in money to supplement what the kids raised. In just two weeks, Plourde said the kids at Prides Corner had raised $700 to help out the hurricane victims.

While the focus was on helping others, Plourde said the teachers at Prides Corner also used the effort to teach math skills. They had the kids gather and sort the coins, this helped teach them the value of each coin and also gave them a practical lesson in adding money.

Prides kids Members of Sally Plourde’s second grade class at Prides Corner School show off the $700 the school collected for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Using the slogan “Prides Corner cares,” the kids raised money by collecting bottles, donating their savings and doing extra chores around the house.