Minions proved mighty in March Madness
April 1, 2019
CUMAC’s webpage says it always needs volunteers. Some people drive the donation trucks to the food pantry located in Paterson, NJ.
March Madness is a time of the year when each homeroom class at Patrick M. Villano School competes to donate food to CUMAC, a local pantry in Paterson, NJ. In turn, CUMAC feeds people in need from Bergen County. Students in Trish Mancino’s fourth grade class brought in the most canned and boxed goods. They earned the honor of hauling all the items from the school wide fundraiser to a nearby delivery truck. Mia Woodward was one of those winning students in the homeroom nicknamed the Mighty Minions.
“I was really excited because last year I didn’t win,” Woodward explained.
Woodward said she’d feel like a winner even without the first place honors.
“I actually think it’s good because I could help people, and I love helping people,” Woodward said. “We could help all those people by giving them food and goods. It’s just a really awesome what we can do.”
April Catuogno’s sixth grade homeroom came in second place. The Catuogno Cappucinos really owe its silver nod to to Amelia Teigen. Her mother gave Teigen $100 to buy items for the food drive at ShopRite in Emerson.
“It was exciting because it was fun watching us beat other teams, and then it was kind of sad when Mrs. Mancino’s class beat us because we were on a roll,” Teigen said. “It was hard to lose that streak.”
However, Teigen doesn’t feel like she lost the contest since everyone donated to those in need. The Big Bills of Kim Bigg’s fifth grade class and the Donating Dukes of Michelle Deubel’s third grade class won their grade levels.