Lubec schoolchildren buy into ‘Think Local First’

Schoolchildren at the Lubec Elementary School were busy this past holiday season participating in the first official "Think Local First" effort promoted by Washington County: One Community (WC:OC). Five Washington County businesses worked together with Eleody Libby, WC:OC program director, to create a brochure of locally produced holiday gifts for students to take home to their families. The five companies are Bella Tella, Monica's Chocolates, Quoddy Mist, Raye's Mustard and Roy Toy. For every item sold, the school profited from the difference between the wholesale price earned by the company and the retail price paid by the customer. A total of 142 items were bought, with the school netting $498.40.

"All the students worry about our small businesses closing," says Debbie Haskins, a teacher at the Lubec Elementary School who worked with the fourth grade on the project. "Our class had the top seller. He drove around with his grammy to all the neighborhoods."

Even at nine years old, the fourth grade students are concerned about the health of their downtown businesses, says Haskins. "We're such a small community, the students know the business owners personally. This student was just so excited to be able help the small businesses." She says that next year, with more planning and coordination, the program will do even better.

PTA president dreams up the concept

First thought up by Janet Toth, formerly of Eastport and Jonesboro, the local first program is being developed as part of a comprehensive "Think Local First" campaign. At the time, Toth was the Jonesboro Parent Teacher Association (PTA) president. She remembers, "I wanted to connect what I did for work with what I was volunteering to do. One Sunday morning, about 3 a.m., I woke up with a thought of connecting the businesses to the schools. The small business owners were interested in enlarging their local market and the PTA was tired of selling products with a high price tag on little substance for a low return for their efforts." Toth was also involved with the formation of WC:OC and was a member of that organization's economic development focus team.

Toth contacted Sue Dennison, co-owner of Roy Toy, a family business that has been operating in Washington County since the 1930s. "I knew they were up to the project; they had a wholesale brochure and a retail one, they had literature, business cards and generations of reputation. They are also a kid's business as they manufacture Lincoln Logs using food coloring as the dye." The Jonesboro project was a trial run and proved successful. Toth has since moved to Hancock County to work for the City of Ellsworth but was delighted to learn of the first official success story of the buy local business to school campaign.

The Roy Toy website quotes founder Roy Dennison from many years ago. "There's no greater feeling for a parent than helping their child explore their own imagination." The quote exemplifies the experience the "Think Local First" campaign is attempting to foster through hands-on participation and learning. Helping schoolchildren learn out about their community, what it creates and sells, how it uses resources and why, is all part of the campaign's goal.

Buy local initiatives are popping up all around the country, says Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, author of The Big Box Swindle and editor of The Hometown Advantage newsletter. She has heard many examples of businesses being approached to support school fundraising efforts, but often with little support of the local businesses in return. This is often from a lack of awareness of what local businesses have to offer. The business-to-school effort for holiday fundraising goals puts a twist on the buy local concept and is a new idea that she anticipates will be emulated elsewhere. "This [project] takes things to a different level and is very powerful in raising awareness about building local conditions." She believes that, once the idea gets out to other communities, it will "probably be shamelessly stolen and used around the country."

Lubec Consolidated School Principal Peter Doak says about the program, "It's very important for kids to understand what local communities provide, especially given our economic times. Kids need to be involved in their communities." Leaning about local companies and businesses through their products and possible field-trips is one of many ways that school children can begin to understand their community and imagine possibilities for their own involvement and futures.

Extended campaign planned

WC:OC's Eleody Libby explains that the business-to-school effort is part of a larger campaign on which the county-wide organization is working. Also included is a farm-to-school initiative, business-to-business and business-to-resident awareness campaign and resource database, and lastly a county-wide marketing campaign. Libby says, "Working with local businesses, chambers, organizations and individuals, WC:OC will implement a campaign that encourages county citizens to think about what is available locally first C a positive message to increase local awareness."

Karen Raye, president of the Eastport Area Chamber of Commerce and an owner of Raye's Mustard, has used the same idea in the past with her own business and supports the "Think Local First" campaign. "By joining together with other Washington County companies, I think this program offers the consumer a great opportunity to support the schools' children by buying local. And the programs offer the students the opportunity to promote our regional businesses. We've all been hit up in the past by kids selling things to earn money. Now we can actually buy something locally made, pay a reasonable price and still help the kids."

Business owner Sue Dennison remarks that participating in the program has been a useful experience in more ways than one. "We launched our 'play green' clubhouse toy [with the program], and it turned out to be our best-seller." While Dennison cannot sponsor field trips to her business at this time, she is interested in the possibility of taking her business to the schools with photos of machinery and staff in action and showing samples of the different toys that the company makes. "It's a great way to connect schoolchildren one step closer to local products," Dennison says.

Theresa Guilmain, owner of Bella Tella, also feels that the experience was a good one. Her small organic farm and gift shop, located in East Machias, has "a lot of things to see, especially for schoolchildren." She sold 75 bars of natural soap through the program and is looking forward to participating again.

For more information about Washington County: One Community's "Think Local First" program, contact Eleody Libby at 733-4760 or visit <www.washingtoncountymaine.com>.