Acting Locally

It was a busy week for us!  On Tuesday, we took a "mini-field trip" to our local Santa's Anonymous warehouse to see first hand how this program works.  Mrs. Gunderson, the coordinator, explained how it works while the many volunteers busily sorted donations that had come in. 

I think the highlight of the trip was when some of the volunteers, who were busy sorting donations, shared with the students why they volunteer their time.  Comments like "because it feels good" and "I want to help others" impacted the students.  Some of the students even asked how they and their families could help out.



Here you can see some of our students checking out the men's clothing and gifts area.

Then, on Wednesday, it was our turn to help.  For the last month, students at our school have been bringing food donations and piling them high in front of the office.  Our class checked expiry dates and sorted all of the food.  The biggest surprise was the number of donated items that had expired (2011 and earlier!).  They really got to see how "many hands make light work".  Overall, it was a rewarding experience for the students to take part in and we are all proud of them for giving back to their community.  

You can see some of the sorted piles of food in this class picture.

We were wondering...
How do you give back to your local community?