Northside Elementary Third Graders Budget, Shop and Donate to Bonner County Food Bank
SANDPOINT, Idaho — A class of third graders at Northside Elementary turned a $500 grant into a hands-on lesson in budgeting, nutrition, and community service — arriving at the Bonner Community Food Bank with 284 pounds of donated food.
Teacher Shantelle Gillis applied for the mini-grant through Underground Kindness, a local nonprofit that funds student-led community projects across the Lake Pend Oreille School District. The funds were split into $100 allotments per small group, and students were sent into Super 1 Foods in Sandpoint armed with calculators, pens, and paper to put classroom math to work in real-world aisles.
Budgeting Lessons Come to Life in the Grocery Store
Before the shopping trip, Gillis walked her students through the fundamentals — distinguishing needs from wants, understanding nutrition, and thinking critically about how dollars stretch. At the store, groups compared generic versus name-brand products and calculated price-per-ounce figures to find the best value.
One moment stood out: students discovered that purchasing two separate one-pound bags of carrots cost less than a single two-pound bag — a counterintuitive finding that sharpened their comparison-shopping instincts on the spot.
“They quickly figured out which option was the better deal, which isn’t always the obvious choice,” Gillis noted.
She said the exercise was designed to connect academic skills to genuine community impact. “I wanted them to understand all the work that goes into budgeting, meal planning and smart shopping,” Gillis said, adding that she hoped students would recognize the many ways they can serve their neighbors.
Food Bank Visit Deepens the Lesson
After checking out, students transported the haul to the Bonner Community Food Bank, where staff guided them through a tour of the facility. The visit gave students a clearer picture of food insecurity in Bonner County and how the food bank addresses it.
Third grader Olympia Gall said the experience left an impression. “I think helping others is important because they might not have a house, water or food,” she said. “It’s important to be kind and respect others.”
Gillis called the project far more than an enrichment activity. “These partnerships are one of the most practical ways to make learning feel real and meaningful,” she said. “It makes learning relevant, expands perspective and builds engagement.”
Underground Kindness has supported similar student-driven efforts across the district, including high schoolers from Sandpoint High reading to younger children and Farmin-Stidwell students participating in Toys for Tots shopping. The nonprofit’s mini-grant model empowers teachers like Gillis to design projects that tie academic standards to civic responsibility — a model that educators across North Idaho have used to build lasting community connections.
What Comes Next
The Bonner Community Food Bank serves residents throughout Bonner County year-round. Community members interested in supporting the organization can contact the food bank directly about volunteer opportunities and donations. Teachers in the Lake Pend Oreille School District seeking similar project funding may apply for mini-grants through Underground Kindness. No further grant rounds have been publicly announced at this time.