Candy wrappers are being turned into cash to raise money for Moscow schools, and University of Idaho students are spearheading the project.
In the spirit of the giving season, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars is collecting candy wrappers in an effort to raise money for the Moscow School District and the Palouse region’s Success for Six program.
NSCS is a national honors society with a chapter at UI, and students who complete their first 12 credits with a GPA of 3.4 are eligible for induction. Members of the society often perform community service in order to get involved in the Moscow community.
“We have teamed up with TerraCycle for this project,” said Kimberly Williams, UI senior and the president of NSCS. “We send candy wrappers — specifically Mars brand bars — to TerraCycle and are given two cents a wrapper.”
The life of the candy wrapper does not end there, Williams said. TerraCycle recycles these landfill items, fashioning them into bags and accessories. Small candy wrappers that are too small to contribute to accessories are melted down and made into other items, like benches. The group has until April to collect as many wrappers as possible to give to the company.
Boxes to deposit wrappers are located in several buildings on campus, typically close to vending machines.
The candy wrapper project is only one of many NSCS is working on. Keshia Blandford, UI junior and vice president of Planning for and Achieving Collegiate Excellence (PACE), is working in cooperation with Moscow Junior High to create a program called March to College Day.
“We aim to provide information for middle school-aged children, since eighth grade is typically the pivotal time for deciding whether to attend college or not,” Blandford said.
NSCS hopes to host middle school students for a day on UI’s campus in March. The event will include a scavenger hunt to familiarize students with campus and interact with PACE members. Their goal is to show aspects of college other than academics, Blandford said.
“As a first generation student, this really hits home to me,” Blandford said. “I really want to present these children with opportunities to further their education about college.”
If the project is successful, NSCS will extend the March to College day to surrounding towns, such as Troy and Potlatch.
On top of candy wrapper recycling and middle school entrenchment, NSCS also provides a free afterschool-tutoring program at Moscow Junior High. They meet after school at 3 p.m.