School collecting pajamas and books

Published: Thursday, October 8, 2009

AMHERST – The students of Souhegan High School’s Reading Center are sponsoring The Great Sprout Tuck-In, a program focused on collecting new pajamas and new books for children in need. Donations are being accepted at the Souhegan High School Main Office through Friday, Oct. 16.

There are more than a half million children in the foster care system, many of whom have never owned a pair of pajamas and who don’t know the comforts of a mother or a father tucking them into a cozy bed and reading them a bedtime story, according to Genevieve Piturro, founder of the Pajama Program.

“It is our mission to deliver a new pair of pajamas and a book to these children who are going to sleep cold, afraid and lonely,” Piturro said.

The Souhegan Reading Center helps its students reach their reading goals and improve their social abilities. Part of the program involves doing a service project, which this year is The Great Sprout Tuck-In. The Reading Center is sponsoring this program in hopes that the school will donate pajamas and book to underprivileged children who need a good night sleep. Many children and young people lack family, books and warm clothes, so the Souhegan students are here to make a difference.

The Great Sprout Tuck-In program began in partnership with the Pajama Program, and all of the donations go directly to kids in need.

For more information about the program, contact Beth Dunham, reading specialist at Souhegan High School, at bdunham@sprise.com or 673-9940.