“Know What You Eat!” students rang out in unison at a dinner theater Dec. 19 in Belfast.  That was the final line of a play written and produced by homeschooling students ages 12-15 who participate in a pilot program for the Ecology Learning Center, a new charter school in Unity. Students raised $500 from the event to donate to the Belfast Soup Kitchen. 

The all-local meal featured venison stew and culminated a 3-month study of food systems.  Students designed the menu around a deer they skinned, potatoes they gleaned from Heald Farm in Troy, and ingredients donated from Waldo County farms including Villageside, Songbird, and Swallowtail Farms.  When students gleaned potatoes in October, 650 pounds went to the Unity Volunteer Regional Food Pantry.

“Our goal is for students to roll up their sleeves and engage in the community through service learning,” said Lisa Packard, executive director of the Ecology Learning Center, in a news release.  “We aim to foster generosity and grit... student leaders who identify challenges like food insecurity and take action.”

Gina Martin, assistant manager of the Belfast Soup Kitchen, attended the dinner theater at the First Baptist Church to receive the $500 donation. 

“We are so grateful,” she said, in a news release. “This will serve 500 meals to those in need in Belfast.”

The Ecology Learning Center is at the final sprint of its own fundraising campaign; every dollar received by December 31 will be matched, up to $25,000. The charter school has raised $17,500 to date.  All donations will directly support educational programs for 48 students, grades 9-10.  Enrollment opens February 1, lottery April 1, and classes begin September 2020.

To make a tax-deductible donation, and to read blog posts by the budding philanthropists of the homeschool group, visit www.ecologylearningcenter.org, or contact Lisa Packard at ecologylearningcenter@gmail.com.