#28 Mallory Makes a Difference

by Laurie Friedman

  I hold up my hands so Joey can see that my fingers on both hands are crossed. I really hope Mrs. Finney comes through.

  She continues, “You all worked very hard, so I have made the decision that everyone at Fern Falls Elementary deserves to be a winner. When you return from Thanksgiving break, there will be no homework for anyone for a week.”

  When she says that, every student in the auditorium claps and cheers.

  It takes a long time for everyone to settle down. Finally, Mrs. Finney clears her throat like she’s not done talking. “It was not my idea to do this. Mallory McDonald and Joey Winston, who headed up the food drive, suggested it. They thought this was the only fair solution.” She pauses and smiles. “But I have to admit that I agree.”

  When she says that, there’s a fresh round of applause. Everyone who is sitting near Joey and me high-fives us.

  “I can’t believe it!” says Grace.

  “This is so cool,” says Zoe.

  “You’re both geniuses!” Pete says to Joey and me.

  Even Mary Ann tells us we did a great job. Everyone is talking about how amazing it is that the whole school will have no homework next week.

  “I know you’re all excited,” says Mrs. Finney. “But we have a special guest with us who wants to talk to you. Students, I’d like to turn the program over to Mr. Lee, the director of the Fern Falls Food Bank.”

  A man joins Mrs. Finney onstage. She shakes his hand and steps back so he can stand at the podium. Mr. Lee smiles at the audience. “I wish I’d had a homework-free week when I went to school,” he says.

  Everyone laughs.

  Then Mr. Lee gets a serious look on his face. “I want to thank all of you for participating in the food drive. Before the assembly, I went by the gym with Mrs. Finney and saw all of the bags of cans you collected. Because of your efforts, many families in Fern Falls will have a very special Thanksgiving.”

  He pauses and then continues. “What you have done has made a real difference in our community, and I want to thank you for all of your hard work.”

  He waits while everyone claps. “I also want to recognize a special teacher and some special students who helped lead the food drive.” He calls Mrs. Daily onstage and thanks her for being the teacher in charge of the food drive.

  Then he calls Joey, me, and all of the reps on to the stage with him. He presents a certificate to each of us.

  Mrs. Daily takes a picture as we pose with Mr. Lee and our certificates.

  When we’re done, the third graders sing the Thanksgiving song they practiced.

  Then Mrs. Finney wishes everyone a happy Thanksgiving and dismisses students to go back to their classes.

  The reps follow Mrs. Daily to the gym to help take the bags of the food to the parking lot where the truck from the Fern Falls Food Bank is waiting. As I leave the gym, all my friends crowd around me.

  “Mallory, you did an amazing job with the food drive,” says Chloe Jennifer.

  “You definitely did!” Pamela smiles at me like she’s proud.

  “It was a great idea,” says April.

  Even Arielle and Danielle have nice things to say.

  “Now we want to do something that helps other people too,” says Arielle.

  “Maybe something for Christmas,” adds Danielle.

  “Thanks,” I tell all my friends. As I head to the gym, I take a deep breath.

  I’m really happy about the way things turned out. Fern Falls Elementary was able to do something good for the community. Everything worked out with the contest. I got a certificate of appreciation, and all my friends thought I did a good job.

  It’s almost Thanksgiving and I, Mallory McDonald, have a lot to put on the list of things I’m thankful for.

  Reasons to Cheer

  The class reps carry the bags of food from the gym to the parking lot. But when we get there, there’s more than just school buses and the food bank truck waiting for us.

  There’s also a news truck.

  “Do you think we’re going to be on TV?” I ask Joey as the crew gets out of their truck and starts setting up cameras.

  Joey gives me an I-have-no-idea-what’s-going-on look.

  We watch as Mrs. Finney and Mr. Lee walk up to greet the news crew and another woman I don’t recognize. Mrs. Finney shakes the woman’s hand, and then she tells us she has two announcements to make. Everyone listens while she talks.

  “Students, this is Mrs. Montgomery. She’s the manager of Fern Falls Grocery. When I told her about your food drive, the store generously agreed to donate one hundred turkeys to go with all the canned goods you collected. That means one hundred families in Fern Falls will have everything they need for a complete Thanksgiving meal.”

  When she says that, all the reps cheer. That’s great news—and it’s so nice of the grocery store to be so generous.

  But Mrs. Finney has more news. “What all of you have done to help families in need is pretty incredible, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.”

  She gestures to the news crew. “You’re all going to be on the evening news!” When she says that, all the reps burst out into more cheering.

  Lindsay and Melissa start jumping up and down. “We’re going to be famous!” shouts Lindsay. It’s easy to see how excited she is.

  Even though I’m too old to jump around and scream like a first grader, I’m pretty excited too. It’s cool to think that what started as a small idea turned into something big.

  “First, we want to film you kids loading the bags of the food onto the truck,” says one of the camera crew from the TV station.

  We all start picking up the bags and putting them on the truck. There are a lot more bags than there are reps. It takes a long time to load the truck.

  As I’m carrying a bag to the truck, Mary Ann walks up beside me with a bag. “It’s pretty cool that we’re going to be on TV,” she says.

  “Yeah,” I say. I can’t help but think about the only other time we were on TV. It was when Mary Ann and I went to New York and were on the Fashion Fran show.

  We were best friends when we did that, but a lot has changed since then. We used to do everything together. Lately, there have been a lot of things she hasn’t wanted to do with me, including the food drive.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t want to plan the food drive with you,” Mary Ann says like she can read my mind.

  “It’s OK,” I say. And it is. Even though we’re still friends, we’re different. I get that we don’t have to do everything together like we used to.

  Mary Ann places her bag onto the truck and smiles at me. “You did a really good job. And I’m not just saying that because we got a homework-free week or because we’re going to be on TV. It was a great idea, and it’s cool that it’s helping a lot of people.”

  “Thanks,” I say, and I smile. It means a lot to me that she feels that way.

  After we finish loading the bags, I stand back and look at the back of the truck. It’s pretty impressive to see all the food that we collected.

  I stand with the rest of the reps and watch as the reporter from the news station interviews Mrs. Finney and Mr. Lee and Mrs. Montgomery.

  When they’re done, I expect them to pack up their cameras and leave, but what happens next surprises me. “Mallory McDonald and Joey Winston,” says the reporter.

  Joey and I raise our hands, and the reporter motions us over to the spot in the parking lot where they were filming the interviews with the adults.

  “As heads of the food drive, can you answer a few questions?” she asks.

  “Sure,” I say.

  “I’m in,” says Joey.

  She motions to the cameras to start filming. “We’re at Fern Falls Elementary with Mallory McDonald and Joey Winston, student heads of the food drive. What did organizing the effort mean to both of you?” She holds the microphone out to Joey like it’s his turn to answer.

  “I’m happy our school could help families have what they need for a Thanksgiving meal,”
says Joey.

  The reporter moves the microphone to me.

  “I’m happy we could help too,” I say. “Even though we were the heads of the food drive, we couldn’t have done it without our principal, Mrs. Finney; our adviser, Mrs. Daily; and all the students who brought in so many cans. It was a group effort.”

  “Thank you both.” The reporter looks at the camera. “This is Nadia Gonzales reporting from Fern Falls Elementary.” Nadia smiles at Joey and me. “Be sure to watch Channel 6 news tonight,” she says. Then she motions to her camera crew to pack up their truck.

  “Students, it’s time to go back to your classes,” announces Mrs. Finney.

  But before we leave, Joey and I have something we both want to say to her. “Thanks again for everything you did to help us,” Joey says. “Especially for giving everyone the homework-free week.”

  Mrs. Finney smiles at us. “I’m planning to make the food drive an annual event at Fern Falls Elementary,” she says. Then she winks. “But next year, we’re going to find a system to keep the cans organized.”

  I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day!

  TV Time

  When I get home from school, I go straight to my bathroom. I turn on the hot water, pour in strawberry-scented bubble bath, and wait for the tub to fill with bubbles.

  Once it does, I sink into the soapy water and think about the food drive. It was a lot of work, but I’m so glad I did it. Even though Joey and I just started it a few weeks ago, so much has happened since then. Getting people to bring in cans, keeping them organized, and then the mix-up.

  I’m just glad Mrs. Finney agreed to give everyone a homework-free week. And I still can’t believe that the grocery store gave away the turkeys or that the news crew came to film it all.

  When I finish my bath, I hop out of the tub. As much as I love soaking in bubbles, it’s almost time for the Fern Falls nightly newscast.

  I dry off and put on my coziest pajamas. I slip my feet into my fuzzy duck slippers and then I text Joey.

  I skip to the den, where I plop down on the couch. I pick up the remote and turn on the TV. Mom, Dad, and Max join me. “I still can’t believe I’m going to be interviewed on the news!” I say once they’re all settled in.

  I wait for Max to roll his eyes like I’m making too big of a deal about this. But he doesn’t. “It’s pretty cool that you’re going to be on TV,” he says.

  I smile at him. I’m excited about it. Being on the news isn’t like eating breakfast or brushing your teeth. It’s just not something that happens every day.

  The first local news story is about an animal shelter that is having a special adoption day on Thanksgiving.

  The next story is about a meeting at city hall. Then a story airs about how the Fern Falls Mall will open early and close late the day after Thanksgiving.

  Even though the stories are interesting, what I want to see is the story about the food drive.

  Luckily for me, it’s the next story. “Here it is!” I yell. I’m so excited I can hardly sit still.

  “That’s Nadia!” I say as I point to the screen. “She was the reporter who interviewed Joey and me today.”

  We all listen as Nadia says she’s reporting from Fern Falls Elementary, where students organized a food drive. While she talks about the amount of food that was collected, the report shows students loading the truck from the Fern Falls Food Bank.

  “That’s me!” I say.

  By the time I get off the couch to point to where I am on the screen, the report cuts to Nadia interviewing Mr. Lee, Mrs. Finney, and Mrs. Montgomery.

  “I think the interview with Joey and me is next,” I tell my family.

  But when their interview ends, so does the report. The next thing that’s on TV is a commercial for laundry detergent.

  “Hey, what happened to my interview?” I ask.

  Mom and Dad look at each other and then at me. “Mallory, when a news crew covers a story, they film lots of things. But not everything they film ends up on air.”

  Mom stands up and puts her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Sweet Potato, but that sort of thing happens all the time.”

  She looks at me like she’s waiting to see if I’m upset.

  But I think my reaction surprises her.

  “It’s OK,” I say. “I didn’t do the food drive because I wanted to be interviewed on TV. It would have been cool. But I’m just glad I did something that helped other people.”

  I can tell my parents like hearing that.

  “Mallory, we’re so proud of everything you did,” says Dad.

  Mom wraps her arm around me and gives my shoulders a squeeze. “Because of you, a lot of people in Fern Falls are going to have a very nice holiday.”

  When she says that, I think about what happened to Devon and his family. Knowing that our food drive will help real people like him makes what I did feel even more important.

  “And you got everyone at school a homework-free week,” adds Max. “Nothing good like that happened when I went to school there.”

  I smile. I’m proud of myself for everything that I did. But it feels great to know that so many other people are proud of me—my teachers, my friends, my parents, and even my brother. “I’m really happy that the food drive went so well,” I tell Mom, Dad, and Max. “I’m also happy that I got to do it with Joey. He’s an amazing friend.”

  Right when I say that, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I check the screen and see that Joey’s calling.

  “Hey,” I say when I answer.

  “Hey,” says Joey. “I guess we’re not going to be famous.”

  I can’t help but laugh. “Not yet anyway.”

  “Are you upset?” Joey asks.

  Even though Joey can’t see me, I shake my head. “Nope,” I say. “No big deal. And there’s always next year.”

  Now it’s Joey’s turn to laugh. “We just finished the food drive, and you’re already thinking about doing it again next year?”

  “Absolutely,” I say. “Are you in?”

  “For sure,” says Joey.

  “Good,” I say. “Because I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks for being an awesome partner.”

  “Yeah. You were too,” he says.

  We say good-bye and hang up. I feel all warm and fuzzy—and not because I’m wearing flannel pajamas or a warm robe or my fuzzy duck slippers. So many good things happened today.

  I think back to how I felt on Halloween and how I feel now. It’s hard to believe it all started because Dad read me that article about the high school kids who put on a Halloween party for underprivileged kids.

  I remember how that girl, Jenny Perez, said it was the best Halloween ever.

  Thanksgiving isn’t until tomorrow, but I already know that it’s going to be the best one I’ve ever had.

  Happy Thanksgiving!

  “Who wants turkey, and who wants ham?” asks Grandma.

  “Can I have both?” asks Max.

  Grandma laughs. “Why not?” she says. “It’s Thanksgiving!”

  Mom, Dad, Max, Grandma, and I all fill our plates with the feast that we spent the whole day making. Even though Mom helped, and Max and I did too, Grandma was the one in charge. She started cooking as soon as she arrived this morning, and the results are amazing. We have ham, turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, homemade rolls, and pie. Everything looks delicious.

  As I sit down to dinner with my family, I can’t help but think about the food that’s on my plate. Imagining what people’s holidays would be like if they didn’t have enough food makes me sad. I feel really good knowing I did something to help a lot of people who wouldn’t have had enough to eat today.

  “Honey Bee, you’re awfully quiet,” says Grandma.

  I smile at her. She already knows about the food drive. It was the first thing I told her about when she got to our house this morning.

  I told her about collecting the cans and the mix-up with the contest. I told her how
Mrs. Finney ended up giving everyone a homework-free week and how the grocery store donated the turkeys and about the news crew that showed up. I even told her about my interview that never aired.

  But what she doesn’t know about is the poem I wrote last night before I went to sleep. I pull it out of my pocket. “I have something I want to read,” I tell my family.

  I’m grateful for the food on my plate.

  I’m grateful for my parents.

  You’re both first rate.

  I’m grateful for my brother.

  You’re never a bore.

  I’m grateful for my cat (and dog)

  that I LOVE and ADORE!

  I’m grateful for my grandma,

  who is so sweet.

  Without you, my life would be incomplete.

  I’m grateful for my friends.

  They’re fun and the best.

  I’m grateful for my teachers.

  They all pass the test!

  I’m grateful for everything I have

  (which is too much to list).

  If I tried to name things,

  there would be stuff that I missed.

  Since today is Thanksgiving,

  I just want to say

  I’m grateful to be here on this special day.

  When I finish reading, Grandma puts her fork down and claps. So do Mom, Dad, and even Max.

  “Mallory, that was beautiful,” says Grandma. “I’m glad to see that you’re appreciative of all that you have. And I’m really proud of you for doing something to help other people in need. Just imagine if more people did things like that.”

  I smile. I know she’s saying that if they did, the world would be a better place.

  And I have to agree. But as I think about what she’s saying, another thought pops into my brain. And it’s not one I’m proud of.

  “Uh-oh,” says Grandma. “A minute ago you were all smiles. Now why the frown?” she asks.