A Massachusetts woman is turning young ice cream lovers into American patriots.
Nancy Diemoz, owner of the Eskimo King ice cream shop in Swansea, has been doing so since 2010, according to WJAR-TV.
It was then that Diemoz learned of the I Pledge Project.
Started by Leopold’s Ice Cream in Savannah, Georgia, the project involves children receiving free ice cream from participating locations if they can recite the Pledge of Allegiance by memory.
On July 1, Eskimo King’s Instagram page announced the kickoff of the patriotic effort’s 2024 season.
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“The ‘I Pledge Project’ kicks off tonight at EK!” the shop announced.
“Every Monday in July from 4-7PM kids 12 & under can receive a free chocolate, vanilla, coffee or twist cone for reciting the Pledge of Allegiance from memory!” it said. “Come stop by tonight to get in on the fun!”
The project is a massive hit, and not just with the kids.
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The Eskimo King employees love it as well.
“Nancy, the owner, she saw it at an ice cream shop in Savannah and she loved the idea of bringing patriotism back into early age,” Lauren Morra, a 17-year-old employee at the shop, told WJAR. “She’s generous when it comes to the community. She sponsors a baseball team and she’s always down to support raffles or anything that’s going on.”
“I think it’s really nice to keep patriotism alive in America. I know one of the reasons the owner wants to keep this going after all these years is because she believes in being proud to be an American,” Morra added.
She said children were lining up at the shop every Monday to recite the pledge for a sweet reward.
“It’s fun to see them of all ages especially the young kids because they get nervous when they’re trying to recite it and sometimes they have an older sibling that’s guiding them along,” Morra said.
“It’s so cute,” she said. “You can tell they’re happy with themselves, they’re proud and they’re excited to get some free ice cream on top of it.”
The I Pledge Project is still going strong at Leopold’s.
Opportunities to learn and recite the Pledge of Allegiance have become increasingly rare for American children.
As reported by WJAR, a growing number of schools in recent years have chosen not to ask students to recite the pledge.
