Students Volunteer at Blessings of Hope

"It's a great opportunity for us to give it back to our local community and teach this group of fifth-graders about what service looks like," stated Salisbury Elementary School teacher Matt Rogers when describing the students' recent volunteer effort at Blessings of Hope. "Hopefully, it will be a lifelong trend that we can start in their 10- and 11-year-old lives."

In addition to Rogers, the students were accompanied to Blessings of Hope in Ephrata on Oct. 28 by teacher Anita Girvin and parent volunteers. This is the third time that Salisbury Elementary School students volunteered at the organization as part of a community service project.

"My family and I have been volunteering there for a few years before we started taking our fifth-graders there," said Girvin. "I like how (Blessings of Hope) organizes things and their structure."

According to http://www.blessingsofhope.com, the agency partners with food suppliers that have surplus food. Volunteers help process the food, and partner organizations distribute the food to people in need.

"They take in these donations, and they use them to supply their (store) in Lancaster city, and with what remains, they make Hands of Hope Boxes," Rogers said. According to the previously mentioned website, the boxes contain fresh and shelf-stable groceries. Ministries, businesses and individuals can order boxes from Blessings of Hope to distribute.

Volunteers generally work in three-hour shifts. "They cut that to fit into our school day. By the time (the students) got their hands washed and hair nets on, it was about one hour and 40 minutes (of volunteering)," Rogers said, noting that all volunteers are given a voucher to use at the Blessings of Hope facility in Lancaster.

During their volunteer shift, the students sorted potatoes and green beans and were given an opportunity to tour the facility. "They had a couple of pallets of potatoes. We put them in plastic baggies and put them in another location," explained Girvin. "While one group was doing a tour, another group was going through green beans or potatoes. They liked being able to (rotate)."

In previous years, the students sorted items like limes and strawberries. "They have something reasonable for them to do," said Girvin. "We pulled out the moldy stuff, and that gets composted. Anything that can be saved gets packed and distributed."

The teachers said the recent volunteer service is part of the school's ongoing effort to perform acts of community service. "(It is) empathy through experience," said Rogers. "We try to do some things in-house, and this was a grander way to support our community outside the four walls of our building. We're just trying to have kids act with care."

The school has also held food drives for The Factory Ministries, and Girvin sponsors the Girvin's Gardeners program that meets weekly to propagate and grow plants. Some plants are placed in installations throughout the school. "We have a Kindness Club that is part of sixth grade," Rogers added. "Our building prioritizes service. We continue to reinforce what we care about."

The students also had fun while volunteering. "They didn't even realize they were working," Girvin added.