The first- and second-graders from the North Kitsap School District Options program embarked on a year-long quest to do something meaningful for people they don’t know and at the same time please a few local pets.

It all started with an ambitious second-grader and a big idea. Seamus McClellan used some of his free time last summer to bake pet treats and sell them at the Kingston Farmers’ Market. He sent all of his earnings to Heifer International, a non-profit, humanitarian organization dedicated to ending world hunger and saving the earth. When school started up in the fall, his class liked his idea so much, they decided to join him and make it a class project. They named their business “Cookies for Milk” because they were selling dog cookies to help buy dairy animals, and proceeded to bake, bag, label and sell their pet treats.

Last month, Seamus won the “Student of the Week” contest from KMPS radio for his work starting and continuing the “Cookies for Milk” project. He has generously decided to give some of his prize money to Heifer.

The dog cookies contain whole wheat flour, corn meal, peanuts, water, eggs, and canola oil. They are sold by donation (a minimum of $2 per bag is recommended). The “Cookies for Milk” dog cookies are available at the Kingston Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, Country Pet Shoppe in Kingston, Pine Cone Gifts (next to Albertson’s) and the Indianola Country Store.

To date “Cookies for Milk” has raised over $1,000.

For more information on “Cookies for Milk,” contact Nancy McClellan at (360) 297-2678 or the Options program at (360) 294-6758. To learn more about Heifer, visit their Web site at www.heifer.org.