Rhode Island Community Food Bank

tA K i N G A C t i O N A G A i N S t H u N G E R
Grandmother Inspires Family
to Pay It Forward
Three years ago, as the holidays approached, Anne
Dunbar recalls telling her grandchildren, “Please don’t
get me anything, there’s nothing I need. Instead,
make a donation. Give back.”
Anne has been volunteering at the Food Bank since 2008.
“The Food Bank is my main area of giving. As a family, we talk
a lot about helping meet people’s basic needs.” Anne’s feelings
about helping the less fortunate left a clear impression
on her grandchildren.
Matthew and Ellie Dunbar, who learn about hunger and
poverty at school, took their grandmother’s words to heart,
making their decision to raise funds to help the hungry an
easy one. “We thought that just us giving wasn’t going to
cut it. We wanted to make a big impact,” said Matthew.
With help from their parents, Matthew, a 17-year-old
student at LaSalle Academy and Ellie, a 14-year-old attending
Food Bank volunteer Anne Dunbar’s passion for helping others inspired her grandchildren,
Matt & Ellie Dunbar, to raise nearly $5,000 for the Food Bank in her honor.
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St. Mary Academy–Bay View, drafted a letter about the
Food Bank, their efforts to honor their grandmother, and a
list of people to approach. “We wrote to family and friends,
people in state and out of state. We even got donations
from our friends at school,” described Ellie.
The hard work of this brother-sister duo paid off. “That
first year, it was overwhelming,” said Anne. “They handed
me an envelope, and when I opened it, it said this is what
we did and this is what we raised. It was over $1,400.
I wanted to cry.”
For three straight years, the results have exceeded both
Matthew and Ellie’s expectations. Friends and family have
generously responded, helping the Dunbars raise nearly
$5,000 to help others. “I’m so proud of them. It’s the power
of two, doing it together,” said Anne. “You cannot deny a
request from a child.”