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On November 29 , more than 500 students from Saint Simon Parish School in Los Altos worked together to assemble holiday grocery bags , which will be distributed to needy families as part of a school-wide service project . Students from first through eighth grades worked together to decorate the bags with Santa Claus faces and Christmas trees before stuffing them with holiday cards , nonperishable food , and seasonal treats .
For the past ten years , Saint Simon has partnered with the Kinship Center , a nonprofit agency that supports needy families to create safe , sustainable homes for children . This year , the students assembled more than 80 bags of food , which eighth grade students will give to families at their Kinship Dinner , a yearly holiday party that they host for children and their parents .
“ Saint Simon Parish school began
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its relationship with Kinship Center in 2007 ,” said Vice Principal Michelle Nealon . “ Over time , our support grew from simply filling Christmas stockings to now hosting a full Christmas dinner with crafts , food bags , raffles , and stockings .”
During the assembly , eighth grade students led their school “ families ,” which include one student from every grade , through the process of decorating bags , collecting enough food to fill them up , and writing encouraging Christmas messages to the children and families who will receive the bags .
“ Decorating the bags of food for the Kinship families is a great way to get to know students in other grades , while also doing something helpful for those in need ,” said eighth-grade student Riley Simonsen . “ I loved the environment in the gym during our service project .
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Students filling decorated gift bags with food .
Everyone was smiling because we all knew that our work would go towards something great .”
The hands-on service is done entirely by students , but teachers work
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behind the scenes to ensure that the project goes smoothly . Amidst all of the preparation is a valuable experience for students , who learn the importance of serving others who are less fortunate .
“ One of the most rewarding moments working in a Catholic School is the sense of community and coming together with love ,” said Becky Van Meter , the sixth-grade teacher who coordinates the food collection efforts for the entire school . “ It is such a joy to see all the students involved in an effort to feed the less fortunate .”
At a school , a gym is always more than a gym : It adapts for parties , events , rallies , and more . On this particular Wednesday , Saint Simon ’ s gym was the heart of service , with hundreds of students engaged in work that will truly improve the lives of those who received grocery bags this holiday season .
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Each fall , Archbishop Mitty High School students embark on a variety of projects designed to help the local community . This year , two schoolwide drives provided food and supplies to low-income teens and families . Studentathletes also served the homeless in San Jose . Central to the Archbishop Mitty mission is the belief that everyone is made in the image and likeness of God . Service projects serve as great opportunity for students to internalize this important message and put it into action as they help others in their community .
This school year , Archbishop Mitty participated in several schoolwide projects , including a donation drive
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to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank . During Spirit Week , freshmen , sophomores , juniors and seniors competed to see which class could raise the most money for Second Harvest Food Bank . Together , Monarchs brought in nearly $ 4,000 , which will benefit low-income families living in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties .
Monarchs also participated in Teens for Teens , donating more than $ 5,500 worth of gift cards and supplies . Each year , the drive is led by students from the California Scholarship Federation , who promote the event on campus and then travel to the American Association of University Women ’ s warehouse
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to deliver donations and put tote bags together for local youth . This winter , Teens for Teens expects to create about 1,200 tote bags for teenagers living in Northern California .
Student-athletes participating in winter sports also took on projects to help low-income families in the community , with the men ’ s and women ’ s basketball teams gathering before Thanksgiving to put together sandwiches for the San Jose-based InnVision Shelter . About 25 students created more than 400 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches , which went to homeless families living in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Peninsula .
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Finally , extracurricular clubs , such as Interact , also planned projects to help the marginalized this winter . Recently , club members put together bags containing water , healthy snacks , and socks for Sacred Heart Community Service to deliver to children . Co-curricular club members will also participate in volunteer park clean-ups and an evening prom for adults with special needs this school year . Each of the school ’ s students engages with the community in different ways during the holiday season , but all Monarchs share a desire to lend a helping hand to families in the Bay Area throughout the year . |