Courtesy photo Ledge Street Elementary School staff sort out the contents of resource bags that were delivered to the school last week as part of the school beng chosen for a $10,000 Hometown Grant award. (Courtesy photo)

NASHUA – The so-called “resource bags” containing various health and wellness equipment ranging from kitchen utensils and safety essentials to jump ropes and bean bags have arrived at Ledge Street Elementary School, the result of a $10,000 “Hometown Grant” awarded the school by the New England Patriots Foundation and the New England dairy farmers.

The items contained in the bags, which were handed out last week to the nearly 500 Ledge Street school students, are geared toward “enhancing, facilitating, and fulfilling sustainable physical activity and healthy eating changes” among the children, according to New England Dairy spokeswoman Clare Roach.

The award, and subsequent delivery of the resource bags, is part of an ongoing initiative by the Patriots Foundation and the dairy farmers’ group that seeks to “ensure all students have equal access to the healthy eating and physical education equipment they need, no matter their learning location,” Roach said, referring to the process of transitioning students back into the classroom after months of remote learning.

As of late April, roughly 70 percent of Ledge Street students have returned to in-person learning, the school said.

From the school’s teachers and staff up to district administrators, the grant is most welcome.

Courtesy photo Ledge Street Elementary School student Ianna Lopez holds onto a resource bag and another smaller one that were delivered recently to all Ledge Street students as part of a Hometown Grant program. She is joined by Ian Portes, and Ledge Street teacher Cassie Lance. (Courtesy photo)

“Healthy and active students are healthy and active learners,” interim Superintendent of Schools Garth McKinney said.

He expressed the district’s gratitude to the Patriots “and all of the dairy farm families of New Hampshire and New England for their generous support.

“We greatly appreciate the grant to build upon our focus on physical activity and healthy eating habits at Ledge Street Elementary School,” McKinney added.

Josh Kraft, president of the Patriots Foundation and Kraft Family Philanthropies, said that promoting the importance of health and wellness is the chief goal of the Hometown Grant program.

“With this Hometown Grant, we knew we had to find ways to support schools with both in-person and virtual learning,” Kraft said, adding that the nearly 500 Ledge Street students “now have the proper tools to focus on their health, both at home and in the classroom, thanks to the creative support of New England Dairy and the school staff at Ledge Street school.”

Courtesy photo Ledge Street Elementary School physical education teacher Ashley Paulicelli, left, assistant principal Rocio Gagne, right, and principal Chas Miller display a poster-size replica of the $10,000 Hometown Grant the school received from the New England Patriots Foundation. (Courtesy photo)

Roach, the New England dairy spokeswoman, said that the healthy eating resources included in the bags are “geared towards educating parents, guardians, and students on nutrition, smart-eating, and its impact on success,” while the “physical activity pieces of the grant cover basic physical education equipment for use during in-person and remote instruction.”

And in addition to those “physical materials,” each bag also contains instructional videos that the Patriots and the dairy group created “to engage students during the school day.”

The videos, which teachers are incorporating “into their daily lesson plans,” Roach said, are “interactive” and “focus on healthy eating and encourage movement,” important elements in “keeping students focused and ready to learn.”

New England’s dairy farmers, meanwhile, play a major role in the Hometown Grant initiative, due in large part to their support of “Fuel Up to Play 60,” a partnership of the National Dairy Council, the National Football League and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that is the nation’s largest in-school wellness program.

Roach said the program “encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods and to achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.”

Also on hand for the distribution of the resource bags was Charlie Tully, a member of the family-run Tully Farm in Dunstable, Massachusetts, just over the line from Nashua.

Tully said the farm has partnered with the Patriots on the “Fuel Up to Play 60” program for more than a decade.

“As a local dairy farmer and member of the community, we strive to create meaningful partnerships to benefit the places we live and work,” Tully said.

“The kids of Ledge Street Elementary and the students across New England are the next generation. We’re proud to support them and provide important tools for their success,” he added.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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