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Home > What is a Penny Harvest field trip?
April 15, 2008
 One Friday morning in early April, twelve fourth and fifth graders left their building to go on a “field trip”. They didn’t visit a museum, see the animals in a zoo, nor learn about the fish in an aquarium; instead they went to visit a day care center around the corner from their school. These students were representatives from the “Donation Foundation”, the Philanthropy Roundtable at PS 398 in Brooklyn. The day care center they visited was the Rutland Learning Center, a potential grant recipient.
Every day, students at PS 398 pass by the Rutland Learning Center on their way to school. This local center serves 2-4 year-olds in their community of Flatbush (in fact, one roundtable student’s sibling once attended the center). So, when the Donation Foundation was deciding how to allocate their Penny Harvest funds - they identified children, the homeless, the hungry, the sick, and the elderly as the causes they care most about - the students decided that the Rutland Learning Center was an organization they wanted to learn more about.
They were fairly certain that the center met their criteria for supporting an organization: it served their community, addressed the needs of children, and they could support it with more than just a donation. All that was left was to do was to visit the center and see how their funds could be put to use. As such, they set out on this field trip, clipboard and pens at the ready, to learn more about the Rutland Learning Center and its activities.
 They were greeted at the door by the center’s director, Ms. Anderson, who led them on a tour of the facility, introduced them to teachers, and explained the various activities kids participate in. Then the questions began.
“Is there anything at the center you want to change?” one student asked.
Ms. Anderson replied that she hoping to get new tables and chairs for the classroom. She also said that they used a lot of art supplies – crayons, paints, glue and paper. But just as much as they need supplies, Ms. Anderson expressed an interest in organizing events with the older students, like a trip to a nearby park or a joint art project.
When they got back to PS 398, the Donation Foundation members discussed what they had learned. Guided by their Penny Harvest Coach, Cara Usatch, they tried to figure out how they could best help the center.
“How about we bring them supplies and do an art project with the children” one student suggested. Another joined in, “why don’t we buy them toys and books?”
So, what did they finally decide? The students settled on a $150 grant to buy art and crafts supplies, puzzles and books. They will personally deliver these supplies to the Rutland Learning Center and also plan to spend time reading to the children while they are there. They are also hoping to make another “field trip” to the Rutland Learning Center this spring, this time not to collect information, but instead to spend an afternoon working on an art project with their 2 year-old neighbors.
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