Your response to the Million Meal Project has been beyond extraordinary. We have a limited number of volunteer slots remaining so please sign up as soon as possible. 

This community project was created by a Westchester family to support the global organization Rise Against Hunger. Let's join in the fight against hunger this season and beyond.  

Up and down the AMS hallways on Fridays, you'll see a group of students pushing a cart filled with delicious beverages. For $1, teachers can order coffee or tea that is prepared, served and delivered by special education students. 

The coffee cart program was brewed up by Ms. Behr, a special education teacher, and Ms. Cooney, a speech language pathologist. Once the program launched with great success, they applied for a PTSA grant to fund a smooth new rolling cart and coffee pots to keep their drinks hot and fresh.

We chatted with the teachers about this unique experience:

How did you come up with this program?
It came up on Instagram as a way for kids to work on their social skills. We thought, wouldn't it be cool if we did it in a way that the kids could be moving around the building and communicating? 

What kind of items do the kids offer for $1?
It started with coffee, tea and a few creamers. Then it evolved into iced drinks and hot chocolate on special occasions. We talked to the kids about what staff might want to eat and added treats to the cart.  

What kinds of skills are they developing through this program?
This experience allows our students to practice skills learned in the classroom in real life-situations: conversation, counting money, making change, problem solving. They prep the beverage as an assembly line, communicating with each other and working as a team. It's opening up so many life skills. 

How have the teachers responded?
Our kids are really connecting with the mainstream classrooms. Every week we highlight a student in the drink order form and share a little about them. They've created connections with teachers over common interests, from cats to General Hospital! 

What happens to the money that is raised?
Every month we donate to funds to a different charity. We first try to support local initiatives, like the Julie Ford Warrior Collection in November and the AMS Student Council Toy Drive in December.

Click here for more information about the PTSA Grant program.

Join the PTSA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee at the Ardsley Public Library on Friday, Nov. 10 from 3-4:30 pm. Designed for kids ages 6-10, this event will include crafts, reading books about kindness and helping to design a DEI-themed T-shirt. Register here. 

The DEI T-shirt contest is still on! You have until Nov. 15 to submit an original design to celebrate diversity and our welcoming community.