In January, the SCI Smithfield Inmate Organization (SIO), under the supervision of Activities Specialist Shawn Husick and the prison's Activities Department, reached out to 10 schools offering to provide them with snacks for elementary students.
The letter informed officials that inmates are afforded opportunities to conduct fundraisers which allows them to give back to society, and this is one way they hoped to do just that.
The organization's goal was to provide a snack, consisting of store-bought snack items, to every elementary student in Huntingdon County.
Based on each Huntingdon County elementary school's enrollment, the inmates were prepared to provide nearly 2,840 snacks through this one-time donation.
"This idea was very well received by the schools," Husick said. "I contacted the county superintendents/principals to see if their school would be interested in the donation from the SIO and to get their elementary enrollment. Tussey Mountain Elementary even used the donation toward their weekend backpack program."
