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CARLINVILLE - Project Third Day team members have demonstrated just how much a small group who rally together with a positive idea can fill a need for their community and now others in the region.
Project Third Day is a faith-based group that assists needy children and families in Macoupin County and now much beyond. Ryan Tosh is the president of the organization based in Carlinville. Project Third Day’s reach has now even entered the Alton-Godfrey area schools.
The organization started at Cross Church in Carlinville. One of the members of the Project Third Day group and a spokesperson is Tanya Kessinger, MS OTR/L Occupational therapist TCU Coordinator at Carlinville Area Hospital.
“Ryan Tosh had heard of all the poverty and kids relying on school lunches and found out that there is a real need in our community and in our neighborhood for over three-day weekends. Each school has a rating of how many qualify for free and school reduced lunches. Many school districts around us reached the 50-percent mark of qualifying for reduced lunches, so we knew there was a need. I work at Carlinville Hospital and Barb Erwin, who lives in Shipman and is a teacher at North Elementary in Godfrey came to the hospital and wanted to know how we could do this at her school. She championed at North Elementary last year for Project Third Day.”
Project Third Day now assists 75 kids at Carlinville Primary School kindergarten through third grade. The children receive food that is nonperishable including fresh fruit. Project Third Day helps needy students with hygiene items and toiletries and also assist with clothing and shoes to children in need and help them with other household needs.
Project Third Day relies a large part on business support. Carlinville Area Hospital has been a huge supporter. Another big supporter is Travis Tarrant of Tarrant & Harman Real Estate and Auction Company. He and his daughter, Isabella, have jointly participated in some of their food bag efforts. The Squirrel Bowl fund-raiser has become a large supporter of Project Third Day each year, this time donating $32,000 to the organization.
Kessinger said two other school districts recently contacted her about Project Third Day and it just seems to keep expanding. The funds raised from the Squirrel Bowl are vital for the organization, she said. She graciously participates in the Squirrel Bowl each year and makes a presentation that leaves few dry eyes in the room.
Kessinger approached the administration of Carlinville Area Hospital and they agreed to purchase a substantial amount of food for the organization. Project Third Day works carefully to make sure the children in the program are not exposed or ever embarrassed to take the products home.
Now because of the Squirrel Bowl, there are some kids who have been able to get bikes, something many wouldn’t receive without the donations. The pillows and blankets are also a huge hit with the kids, she said.
Project Third Day has become almost a calling for Kessinger and the others in the program who work vigorously each year to make sure it works for the children.
She said there is nothing that makes a person feel better than seeing the smiles on the faces of the kids when they take their materials, food, the blanket, pillows, whatever it might be, home. She said the organization hopes to continue to expand and reach others throughout this part of the state with the message of hope to the children that others sincerely care.
To see Project Third Day on Facebook, see www.facebook.com/project3rdday.
