Harriet Beecher Stowe students Finley Hyland, 10, Lilly Purnell-Amaez, 9, and Lucy Omdal, 9, standing for a photo on Thursday (left to right). C. Thacher Carter / The Times Record.

Back in November, Finley Hyland, Lucy Omdal and Lilly Purnell-Amaez started thinking of ways to make a positive change.

“The idea just sparked,” said Hyland, 10, a student at Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School in Brunswick.  “We wanted to help people and we didn’t just want to help ourselves.”

After some brainstorming, the trio of fourth graders at the local elementary school eventually landed on the perfect idea – a bake sale. Around 880 donuts, brownies and chocolate chip cookies later, the group was able to bring in about $800 on Monday after delivering to local families who placed orders.

The kids decided to use the money for new gym equipment at the school, and to make a donation to Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program.

“Sometimes I would drive past people on the streets who are in poverty, don’t have enough to eat or enough money, and it was really hurtful to me – so I can’t imagine how they were feeling,” said Purnell-Amaez, 9. “Little things can really help, and just $300 or something like that to Mid Coast Hunger Prevention could really help people, I don’t know, get back on their feet.”

Donuts that were sold through the bake sale. Courtesy of Heather Blanchard

All three said the bake sale was a valuable learning experience and they are already discussing plans for another fundraiser next year.

“What I learned in this was that always helping makes you feel better,” said Omdal, 9. “When we were going around the school and delivering them, I just felt really good about myself. Even a little difference can make the best difference in the world.”

Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program is a Brunswick-based nonprofit that looks to address food insecurity in the Midcoast region. The organization operates a soup kitchen, food bank and food pantry, as well as mobile, school and satellite pantries across multiple counties.

In Giving Voice, a weekly column to The Times Record, Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program’s Communication Coordinator Ari van den Akker wrote that financial support, food donations, food drives and volunteering all help to buoy the program’s efforts as inflation hits a 40-year record high.

“This January, food prices were 7% higher than they were in January 2021. This means that, on average, if your grocery bill was $100 a week last year, it’s now $107,” wrote Akker. “It may seem like a small increase for this one purchase, but that extra cost adds up over time. And if you’re feeling the crunch from increasing prices, it’s very likely your neighbors are too.”

In the past, according to Mid Coast Hunger Deputy Director Hannah Chatalbash, kids have donated earnings from lemonades stands as well as through birthday parties where food donations were collected instead of gifts. The money from the bake sale will likely go into the general fund, which will help the organization in anyway from buying food to fueling up delivery vehicles.

“It’s very inspirational when you see young kids investing time and energy and passion into bettering their own communities,” said Chatalbash. “It’s like the true definition of citizenship in action at a young age and that’s just really exciting to see.”

Between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, Mid Coast Hunger estimates that approximately 1.1 million meals were served through its programs. Feeding America, a nationwide food insecurity nonprofit, estimates that 182,000 Mainers experienced hunger in 2021, up from about 167,000 in 2019.

“They saw a real-life problem, and they wanted to try and find a way to solve it,” said Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School Principal Heather Blanchard.

Blanchard said that while other students take up independent projects, the bake sale was the first big undertaking she’s seen that involved selling something.

“We definitely have a lot of motivated students that want to make a difference in the world,” Blanchard added.