https://recorder.com/2025/11/25/rowe-elementary-penny-war/
CREDIT: Madison Schofield, Greenfield Recorder
ROWE — Rowe Elementary School students recently tapped into their competitive spirits while supporting their community, raising $1,214 for the Good Neighbors Food Pantry through their week-long penny war.
The pantry, located at 175 Main St. in Charlemont, has been supporting Rowe Elementary School by providing backpacks filled with food to students facing food insecurity, according to Principal Jon Friedman. As a thank you to the pantry and to support their fellow community members who are struggling, students and staff at the school sought to organize a fundraiser for Good Neighbors.
“We had conversations about how we could support people,” Friedman explained. “We felt like we wanted to do more.”
He said the food pantry told the school that the best way to offer support would be through monetary donations, as the pantry is able to stretch dollars further by buying in bulk.
They came up with the idea of a penny war, where each class had a bucket to put coins in. Pennies and dollar bills contributed to positive points, and students could take points away from other classes by putting quarters, dimes and nickels in their buckets. Friedman said students were extremely competitive and brought in bags of coins.
“We started with little canisters and ended up needing Home Depot buckets,” Friedman said. “We raised a lot more than we expected. We ended with just over $1,200.”
Friedman said the school had set a goal of collecting $500, and students went “way above and beyond.” With the success of the penny war, Rowe Elementary hopes to hold additional fundraisers in the future.
“It exemplifies the kind of care there is in the community,” Friedman said, adding that “there is still a tremendous need.”
In addition to giving back to the community, Friedman said the fundraiser offered students a good opportunity to practice their math skills by keeping track of their points. At the end of the week, the fifth and sixth grade classes won, with approximately 500 points.