KINGSTON — Call it a McCoup.
Parents and staff of the Kingston Cooperative Preschool took orders, worked the drive through and survived a fast-paced few hours on the fast food frontlines.
At the end of their three-hour shift they raised $400 for the school.
The scene at the Kingston McDonald’s was chaotic Tuesday evening as people, most of whom had never worked in a fast food restaurant, served up burgers and fries during dinner rush hour.
“It was actually a lot of fun,” said Debbie Manos, the preschool’s only teacher. Manos filled orders and kept them organized as the food was prepared. Since most of the customers were preschoolers and their families, it made the job easy for her.
“I was tickled to see so many of the kids there, but they couldn’t figure out why I was behind the counter,” she said with a laugh.
During a McTakeover members of a community group work along side restaurant employees and a percentage of the sales during that time goes to the group.
The money, said preschool president Linda Fyfe, goes toward supplies, toys, and general needs of the children.
The preschool is located in the county-owned Kola Kole school building in downtown Kingston. It has 68 students and accepts children who are between the ages of one and a half and six years old.
“It’s really great because some of these children are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of people who originally went to the school,” Fyfe said.
The original school operated from 1909 to 1951. The name Kola Kole came soon after and the school was earmarked for community purposes. The Kingston Co-op Preschool moved in the building in 1965. Since then it has seen several generations take their first steps into the education system.
Diana Kelley, the preschool’s vice president, sent both her children to the preschool and this spring her youngest graduates to kindergarten. She, as do all the parents, works a certain amount of hours at the school.
During her six years there she has developed friendships and calls it a wonderful experience.
She too worked behind the McDonald’s counter. She said the best part was seeing her children walk in the door. Kelley filled drink orders at the drive-through.
“I only messed up once,” she said. “I gave someone a diet Coke instead of a regular.”
