Overflowing with Generosity
Monroe Vicariate students work together to gather canned food for the needy
Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published November 24, 2006
Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic
St. Joseph students (from left to right) Leanne Petee, Stephen Banachowski, Paxton Kreps, Casey Bohland, Dakota Strugarek and Zachary Mercurio show off one days worth of food brought in by their classmates. The collection benefited the needy this season. |
Detroit When it comes to lessons about generosity, Catholics might do well to listen to what Kasey Durkin has to say about why Christians share their wealth with the less fortunate.
"Jesus always helped the people who didn't have much," Kasey says. "And He didn't have much Himself. We have so much, and (the poor) have so little."
Not bad considering that Kasey is not a teacher, but an eighth-grader at St. Patrick School in Carleton. And she's one of hundreds of students from the seven Catholic schools in the Monroe Vicariate who are trying to teach the same lesson.
This Thanksgiving season, student representatives from the seven schools got together to set goals, organize and choose a theme for a food drive that netted more than 8,000 food items for local pantries. The food will be distributed to those in need throughout the holiday season.
Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic
St. Joseph fifth-grader Paxton Kreps loads canned goods into a basket for delivery to the needy this Thanksgiving. |
The schools involved were St. Charles in Newport, St. John in Monroe, St. Joseph in Erie, St. Mary in Monroe, St. Mary in Rockwood, St. Michael in Monroe and St. Patrick. Each school aimed to collect five nonperishable food items per student and staff member.
"When you tell (the students) the number 900, they think, 'Oh my gosh, that's a lot of cans!'" said Katelyn Huddleston, an eighth-grader from St. Mary in Rockwood. "But when they think, 'Oh, that's only five each' then they know it's not that much."
St. Mary was one of several schools that exceeded its goal by a hefty margin, more than 300 food items.
Some students said they were hungry for the chance to feed the hungry.
"Sometimes at a young age, we don't have a chance to help people out in the community," said Katie Smith, a classmate of Katelyn's at St. Mary. "So to get a chance like this is helpful."
Students across the board had proven to be more than helpful with the project. In October, school administrators gathered student representatives from each school for a meeting at St. Mary in Monroe. It was the first time they had combined the schools for a vicariate-wide service project.
And the students ran with it.
"It was interesting when it came to setting a goal," said Ruth Meiring, principal of St. Patrick. "At first it was two cans a piece. Then, they said 'How would you feel if you didn't have Thanksgiving?' Then they came up with the idea of five."
Meiring said they assured one another that their school and parish communities would be helpful with the project, plus they could ask relatives and neighbors, too.
"They were broadening it already and seeing potential for really doing a lot of things," Meiring said.
Especially impressive, she added, was that the students were well aware of those suffering in their own community, with high unemployment rates and layoffs from the automotive industry.
"I was amazed at how aware they are of the situation," she said. "They really stepped forward as a group. It was great to see them in this planning. These kids are very caring and very responsible."
Though the planning was handled mostly by the eighth-graders, the entire student body of each school got involved, as well whether it was in asking their families, collecting the food, or sorting it.
Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic
Eighth-graders Stephen Banachowski, student council co-president, Dakota Strugarek, student council co-president, and Casey Bohland, student council treasurer, were among dozens of students who contributed to a food drive at their school, St. Joseph in Erie. |
"It shows that our classrooms care," said St. Joseph fifth-grader Zachary Mercurio, who added that it was fitting to give during the season because it fits with the lesson that Christ gave of Himself in the Eucharist.
"Jesus said, when you feed the hungry, you feed me," added Leanne Petee, another fifth-grader at St. Joseph.
The theme the students chose for the project was "Overflowing with Generosity." Each school has its own way of keeping track of the vicariate's goal. And while the students keep an eye on that goal, they hope adults are keeping an eye on them.
"We wanted to do something nice for people who were less fortunate, and wanted to encourage service in our community," Durkin said. "I've learned a lot, like how easy it is to get involved and get other people to help contribute.
The response is just awesome."
Michigan Catholic reporter Kristin Lukowski contributed to this story.
