Heather and Hannah went on a shopping spree.
But instead of heading to their favorite stores, the Prairie Park School fourth-graders used the $100 they won for their school fund-raising sales to buy groceries for a food pantry.
"It's close to Thanksgiving," 10-year-old Hannah Rupprecht said.
The girls and their mothers last week delivered baby food and peanut butter, rice and canned beans, stuffing mix and juice to the food pantry of ECKAN's Douglas County office, 1 Riverfront Plaza. The Ottawa-based nonprofit organization, with offices in nine counties, aims to help the poor become self-sufficient.
The gifts for the food pantry came out of the wrapping paper, candy and gifts the girls sold to relatives and neighbors to raise money for their school.
Together, they sold about $900 worth of items -- more than anyone else in the school -- and won a prize of $100.
The lure of the money captivated the girls for a while. Hannah and 9-year-old Heather Cistola said they considered keeping $50 for themselves and using the other $50 to spend on a food pantry.
In the end, the desire to do good for others prevailed.
"Since it's more, like, getting cold out, and people need food and stuff, I thought it would be good to donate," Heather said.
Prairie Park School students, from left, Heather Cistola, 9, and Hannah Rupprecht, 10, are shown Wednesday with food donations they purchased for ECKAN's Douglas County office at Riverfront Plaza 1. The fourth-graders recently won $100 at a school fund-raiser, and they decided to use the money to buy donations.
The girls made a shopping list and headed with their mothers to Checkers Foods, 2300 La., with one girl crossing off foods on the list and the other operating the calculator.
"It went really fast," Heather said of the $100.
"Like, really fast," Hannah said.
The girls and their mothers delivered the food last week, along with an additional $20 worth of food Checkers chipped in.
"They were so cute," ECKAN human services coordinator Jeanette Collier said of the girls. "They were so excited when they brought that food in."
Collier said she didn't know whether the girls were the only children who've purchased food for the Douglas County ECKAN. While many youths do volunteer work, she said it was rare that one would spend money.
Hannah's mother, Michele Rupprecht, said she was pleased the girls thought about others.
On the Street: What are you thankful for?"They have what they need," she said of Heather and Hannah. "They didn't need another toy."
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