Typically, throwing food at school lands students in the office. However, when it’s done as part of a food drive at Bodkin Elementary School, the often frowned-upon act is encouraged.
As students streamed through the school’s entrance on Tuesday morning, they gently “tossed” food items to adults who collected them for a “lunch drive” benefiting homeless individuals housed at Pasadena’s Our Lady of the Chesapeake Catholic Church, located nearby.
Students who passed through the school door were excited at the thought of throwing their food. Older students tossed their goods while some of the younger students seemed apprehensive. Although, they happily obliged school counselor Jen Elsis when she encouraged them to participate in the food-toss fun.
Alongside Elsis at the food drive was Our Lady of the Chesapeake’s event manager, Donna Moran. Both women say they enjoy the excitement students exhibit while donating food for a good cause.
“They get such a kick out of watching us catch the food, it just stuck with us year after year,” Moran said of the tossing game’s genesis. This act of friendly “food tossing” is a yearly occurrence at Bodkin.
This was the first year second-grader Eva Osborne, 8, participated in the lunch drive. On Tuesday she donated a package of Capri Suns. She said she wanted to participate “to help out and do a warm, fuzzy activity.”
Second-grader Reed Preslipsky, 7, donated bottles of water during the food drive. He said he likes “being helpful.”
After the morning collection, donations are packed into Moran’s vehicle and taken across the street to the church. The donated goods were fashioned into lunches by Bodkin Elementary School student volunteers on Tuesday and Thursday during their visits to Our Lady of the Chesapeake.
Younger students decorated paper sacks, while older ones wrote notes, made sandwiches and washed fruit. Every student lent a hand creating the bagged lunches.
Moran said the lunch consists of two sandwiches, a snack, a piece of fruit, a drink and “a warm welcoming letter written by the tiny hands of a second grader.”
The prepared lunches are then given to homeless individuals during the church’s week-long participation in Arundel House of Hope’s Winter Relief Program. The program establishes emergency shelters in various churches in the area, creating warm places for homeless people to sleep during cold winter months.
Aside from lunches, the church offers participants showers, snacks, laundry and clothing.
Moran began partnering with Bodkin Elementary School 11 years ago when the church’s Winter Relief budget was stretched thin due to food purchases. She asked the school for assistance.
Moran was previously employed at Bodkin and both of her children attended the school. She says she knew they would go above and beyond to provide food for the homeless.
“It’s a great school,” she said.
Ultimately, students donate more food than the 35 people housed at the church can eat during the week. The church donates leftover items to the next church participating in the Winter Relief Program.
Moran hopes other churches involved in Winter Relief will follow in her footsteps by partnering with a local school.
“If every church would connect with a school, whether they have a school attached or not, it would help,” she said.
Elsis believes donating food and spending time volunteering during Winter Relief has not only been helpful to the church, but it has also been helpful in creating a great learning experience for Bodkin students.
“It’s been so invaluable,” she said.
After participating with the program, students often tell her their ideas about how to continue helping people.
For more information about Our Lady of the Chesapeake, call 410-255-3677.
Meeting
District 31 Democratic Club will hold its monthly meeting 6:30-8 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Eastern District Police Station, 204 Pasadena Road. The club seeks prospective members.
During the meeting, members will review special events, speakers and candidate information. For more information, contact Jared at www.district31democrats.org.
Grief support
Chesapeake Life Center’s grief support programs schedule for children and youth being offered in 2018 is below. Pre-registration is required for all programs and must be completed before attending by calling 888-501-7077 or emailing griefinfo@chesapeakelifecenter.org.
