The Almanac – Boyce Middle School recently collected more than 600 pounds of food to benefit families served by the South Hills Interfaith Movement.
Organized by the Upper St. Clair school’s Student Council, the community service project was led by sixth-graders Raegan Faulds and Caty Howard, along with fifth-graders Abby Burke and Jillian Casey.
Throughout a two-week period, each middle school student was asked to donate a cereal and a secondary item. The cereal drive is an annual event at Boyce.
“We started it several years ago and reached out to local shelters,” said Justin Gremba, sixth-grade math teacher and Student Council sponsor. “Cereal is a high-demand item, so we centered our drive around that.”
Community service projects provide students with valuable opportunities to work in leadership roles and to gain experience organizing a project.
“My hope is that these projects teach the students about the value of teamwork and sticking with a project,” Gremba said. “Projects typically have their issues. I like to see how our students work through the problem to find the solution.”
SHIM has been providing food, clothing and services to people in need in Pittsburgh’s southern suburban neighborhoods for more than 50 years. The organization works to reduce the devastating effects of suburban poverty among the working poor, unemployed, families, single parents, senior citizens, women, and the high concentration of refugee families in its service area.
For more information about SHIM or to make a donation directly to the organization, call Seth Dubin, director of development, at 412-854-9120 ext. 109 or email sdubin@shimcares.org.