Battle Of The Valleys Raises Over $30,000 For Families

While we get bombarded with bad news on a daily basis, it's a breath of fresh air to hear about some good news!

Here's something local that contains all good news. The Broome County Sheriff's Office announced that two local school districts partnered to raise money while having fun to help fight hunger in their communities on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

Susquehanna Valley Central School District’s Donnelly and Brookside Elementary 5th graders competed with 5th graders from Chenango Valley School District’s Chenango Bridge Elementary during the 3rd Annual Kick It For Cans charity kickball game.

The schools named the friendly competition as 'Battle of the Valleys'. According to the Broome County Sheriff's Department, the Kick It For Cans event began as an idea from School Resource Officer Tony Wood after he witnessed two deputies joining an impromptu kickball game after dropping off a donation at Susquehanna Valley’s Saber Food Center pantry in 2023.

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In 2024, the first year, $7,000 was raised for the Saber Food Center Pantry. 2025's event raised $10,000. For 2026, Chenango Valley Central School District joined in raising money for their Warrior Fund. That fund assists local Chenango Valley families in need with food, clothes, and utilities assistance.

With so many families struggling with hunger in our community, we need less activism and more actionism. These local students and their school districts have stepped up and delivered real help for those in need in Broome County. - Les Aylesworth, Director of CHOW

Between the two school districts,  $23,751 was raised for local families in need. To add to that amount, the Broome County Sheriff’s Office contributed an additional $7,000 to help get this year’s total to over $30,000 to benefit Broome County children and families in need.

Our kids get to see adults working together and the positive change we can make together, and that’s important. Sometimes building something meaningful takes work, but when it comes to our community, it’s worth it. Thank you to our community sponsors for showing up for our kids and our students. Thank you for showing them what community kindness and teamwork looks like. - Susquehana Valley Social Worker Stacey Stilloe, founder of the Saber Food Center and co-founder of Kick It For Cans with SRO Tony Wood.