Council Rock students' push to have Hershey Kiss named official PA candy finds sweet success
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How sweet it is.
A Bucks County-led effort to have Pennsylvania designate the iconic Hershey’s Kiss as the state’s official candy has found support in Harrisburg.
The Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee passed Senate Bill 1122 on Wednesday. The bill, sponsored by Sens. Maria Collett, D-12 of Lower Gwynedd, Steve Santarsiero. D-10 of Lower Makefield, and John DiSanto, R-15 of Dauphin/Perry, now awaits a vote on the Senate floor.
The measure was brought to officials by students from Council Rock School District. Students at Newtown Middle School formed the Hershey Kiss Committee while learning about the state’s legislative process.
Now attending Council Rock North High School, the students met with Hershey executives, lobbied legislators, drafted bill language, and generated media attention to advance their project and ensure the Hershey’s Kiss becomes the state candy, Collett said.
The students started their own website, thekiss4pa.org, and their own social media campaign for the effort, #thekiss4pa.
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“I’m thrilled to see this student-generated legislation move forward,” said Collett. “Hershey’s Kisses have become an iconic candy not only in Pennsylvania, but around the world, and their production has a profound impact on the Commonwealth’s economy – from our dairy industry to manufacturing to retail. It's only fitting that this sweet treat becomes our official state candy.”
While the move found sweet support, there were other candies, including York County favorite, York Peppermint Patties, that also were part of the committee’s discussions.
As vice president of the committee, Council Rock student Kaitlyn Landers shared her pride back in December when the campaign got the attention of legislators.
“I am so proud to be part of this team for our perseverance over the last year and hope this project will inspire others to get more involved in their community,” she said.
Rep. Tom Mehaffie, whose central Pennsylvania district includes Hershey, said he was impressed by the Council Rock students when he introduced the bill in the House last year.
“I have to admit that this is something that should have been done years ago, as the Hershey area is a tourism hub and major manufacturer of chocolate. The Hershey Co. produces 70 million Kisses each day, and many in our region celebrate New Year’s Eve with a 300-pound Kiss featured on the square in Hershey,” said Mehaffie in December.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: CR students find sweet success in naming Hersey Kiss as PA state candy
