What do you think of when you hear the word Hershey? Chocolate, of course. But after my trip to Hershey, PA, I’ll be thinking of more than just chocolate when I hear the word Hershey. One of my most memorable visits to the Sweetest Place on Earth was our cookie exchange with a group of boys and girls at the Milton Hershey School. For children who are in unfortunate life circumstances, The Milton Hershey School is their ray of hope for the future, providing opportunities for success. The school, which is free to students, houses 1850 students ages 4-18 in 150 homes. Financial need is the main criteria for acceptance since you can’t “pay” to attend. The school does not accept donations and instead relies on chocolate and candy sales for financial support. One hundred years ago, Milton Hershey had a vision for these children and left a legacy that will continue for many, many years.
Milton Hershey and his wife were unable to have children and established the school to provide a home and school for orphaned boys. They used a portion of their wealth to found the Hershey Industrial School and later gave almost all of their fortune to the school.
The houses were festively decorated
They caroled for us…
Decorating gift bags for the cookie exchange
They had so much fun…
Cookies we helped bake for the cookie exchange
If you could spend just a few hours with these children, you’d see bright-eyed boys and girls with hope in their eyes. For many of these children, the school saved them from significant social and economic hardship. But you would not know it from talking to them. We arrived to one of the homes to find several girls jumping up and down outside…they were so excited to see us! I had to fight to put my tears aside as I walked hand in hand with one of the little girls we had dinner with, the knowledge of why they were there at the forefront of my mind.
It was wonderful to speak with the Australian houseparents who provide stability for that group of girls. Their heart for these children shown through as they spoke of their time at the Milton Hershey School. The fact that they live in the home with their own children surprised me…what a unique experience it would have been to grow up with such a large family.
I have to admit that the one concept I struggled to grapple with was the fact that each and every one of the children live their year-round. I can’t imagine making that decision. The irony is that these children are here at the school because they need to be. The houseparents spoke about partnering with the children’s biological parents so that they’re informed and in contact with their children. They also arrange scheduled periods of time for the children to go home (breaks, holidays, etc.), provided they have a place to go.
The Milton Hershey School provides housing, education, clothing, meals, and medical services to children in attendance. I encourage you to visit the website to learn more about all that this school does for children in need. If you know someone who can benefit from the school, I encourage you to recommend them as the school is currently accepting applicants.
No compensation was received for this post. Travel to Hershey, PA was provided by the company.
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Fascinating! I had no idea the Hersheys had a school like this. It’s an amazing idea. It would be wonderful if others would step up and do this.I’m wondeing if they take donations to help run the school. I’ll check out the web site!
Wow, this is the first I have heard of this. What a wonderful experience to visit and make their holidays bright! And what a wonderful thing the Hershey family has done to help so many children and families! Beautiful!