Kirkmere, day care students help feed the hungry

By DENISE DICK

denise_dick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Discovery at Kirkmere fifth- and sixth-graders bustled around the Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church’s Family Life Center one morning this week, filling ags with food for the underprivileged.

It’s part of a service project for the students.

“They had a weeklong lesson on how they can help their community, even at a young age,” said LaDonna Walker-Newell, Kirkmere’s school-community liaison. “They chose hunger.”

The school reached out to the church, which serves a monthly dinner and distributes food.

Rosabelle Thompson, outreach coordinator at the life center, said the students are filling bags that will be given to families Thursday when the center also serves its Thanksgiving meal. Kirkmere seventh- and eighth-graders will help serve.

“They’re putting in five different canned goods, raisins, cranberries, and we’ll give them 10 pounds of chicken,” Thompson said.

She expects about 500 people to come to the meal.

Besides the traditional Thanksgiving dinner and the bags of food, Thursday’s event will include a produce truck.

Kirkmere students performed their service like a well-oiled machine. They grouped around tables, hurrying from the boxes of items to the bags and moving the filled bags to another table.

Sixth-graders Erykah Jennings, 13, and Jeshaiah Geathers, 12, say the project offers them a way to help those who need it.

“There are people who need food and they have over seven kids and they don’t have enough money,” Jeshaiah explained.

Erykah said she doesn’t want anyone to go without food.

The food comes from Second Harvest and Gleaners food banks.

Ayana Ashley, 11, a sixth-grader, learned from a billboard that nine out of 10 children don’t get enough to eat.

“That’s sad because the only meals they eat every day is when they’re at school and have breakfast and lunch,” Ayana said. “When they’re at home, they have to worry about food.”

Sixth-grader Aniya Williams, 11, said the group chose to address hunger as a way to help the community.

“It makes me feel good about myself,” she said.

Children from Blessed Assurance and Auntie Rei’s day care centers also pitched in, carrying items to fill the bags.

Thompson said the family life center serves senior citizens in the community, delivering meals to their homes and to senior citizen facilities.

“We probably serve about 900 people per month” with all of the food programs, she said.