POTSDAM -- The success of Potsdam Central School district’s P2 Club will be taken to a national level.

Potsdam’s P2 Club welcomed Jeff Bryan, co-founder of the Positivity Project, on Oct. 6 for a meet & greet breakfast, at which student members talked about their projects as well as their vision for the future of their club.

Impressed by the amazing work the P2 Club is doing, Bryan announced that the Potsdam group will be used as a model club for high schools nationwide

The Potsdam Senior High School Positivity Project Club, or P2 Club, began as a group of kids crammed into a spare room, and has grown into a student-run, charitable organization that promotes positivity, inclusivity, and philanthropy.

The club organizes fundraisers, blood drives, and charitable events for active military service members. Additionally, they have developed welcome packets for new and incoming high school students, they present student and staff member of the month awards and have developed a hospitality room open to the school community.

The club has also developed a free food pantry for community members in need.

“The P2 Market has been wildly successful – with a whopping 30 orders filled for community members just this week,” said Dan Davis, an educator who helps with the club. “Students have developed an online ordering system for the sake of anonymity, helping to combat the stigma often associated with food pantries.”

With a $10,000 grant awarded by the Kentucky Fried Wishes Foundation, the club has extended their efforts to focus on local senior citizens, teaching them how to use ipads and chromebooks to place online orders.

In addition to food pantry items, P2 Food Market customers can order personal hygiene products like laundry detergent and shampoo.

“These are not standard food pantry items and tend to be more expensive, but the club feels that being able to offer items that contribute to their customers physical and mental health is worth every penny,” Davis said.

As a nationally recognized model club for the Positivity Project, the P2 Club will provide a monthly blog and podcast that will be featured on the national website. In addition, the club will host a Service-Learning Q&A webinar for other high school Positivity Clubs across the country – and that’s just the beginning. The club hopes to host an in-person Positivity Project conference in the future as well.

“Today, sustainability is one of the greatest concerns for the Positivity Club,” Davis said.

They have received donations from businesses throughout the community including Barstow Motors, Dunkin Donuts, Tim Hortons, JE Sheehan Construction, Triple AAA – Johnston’s Towing, KFC, Jakes on the Water, Park Bros., McDonalds, Stewart’s Shops, Price Chopper, LaValley Transportation Inc. and more. To maintain success, the club is seeking more donations. Club sponsors are advertised at the Potsdam Senior High School’s Turf Field. People or businesses that are interested in donating to the Potsdam Central School Positivity Club can reach out to Davis.

“Know that your donation would contribute to the significant impact that a group of remarkable kids will continue to have on our community,” Davis said.

To learn more about the Positivity Project, visit https://posproject.org/.