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Eighth-Graders Participate in Service Day

Eighth-graders participated in a service day on Friday, April 12, with groups volunteering at the Clothing Bank of Delaware, Wilmington Head Start and Lutheran Community Services. Below, some of the students describe their experiences.

Lutheran Community Services 
By Thomas Conaty '23
When we visited Lutheran Community Services, my group helped out by harvesting, mulching and filling plant boxes with dirt in the garden. Other jobs included moving wooden pallets to make more room for the garden and weighing fresh spinach to be given away. We helped double the planting space LCS had, ultimately allowing them to grow more food for those in need. Besides the physical service, we also learned about the mission of Lutheran Community Services and took a small tour of its offices and pantry. We learned how LCS allows people to come in and take certain amounts of food (depending on how large their family is) from their supermarket-like pantry. We also learned that the mission of Lutheran Community Services is to not only help feed people but to also assist with their rent payment if necessary. Overall, it was a fun and impactful experience for both Tower Hill and Lutheran Community Services.

By Marisa Nygard '23
On Friday, for our day of service, my group went to Lutheran Community Services. We learned that LCS helps people get the support that they need in their rent, down payments or similar things. They also have a food pantry that looks very similar to a small grocery store where people in need can pick out which foods they want once a week. While I was there, three other girls and I harvested collard greens and spinach from their garden. After that, we weighed and packaged it. We harvested over 26 pounds of collard greens, and I was really glad to be able to help out and affect the community in a positive way as much as possible.

Clothing Bank of Delaware
By Claire Saunders '23
My group went to the Clothing Bank of Delaware. The Clothing Bank distributes clothes to people in need. They get the clothes from clothing drives, stores that have clothes that they don't sell and other donations. At the Clothing Bank, we helped fold, sort and bag winter clothes away for spring. Additionally, some of the group hung up and sorted clothes on the large racks. I really enjoyed the experience and loved helping the community while also hanging out with friends. I feel good knowing that I did something to help those in need in the community.

By Constantine Moutsatsos '23
I had a very positive, as well as a memorable, experience at the Clothing Bank of Wilmington on Friday. I discovered that they partner with over 200 different stores, hospitals, etc. to help fund and transport the donated goods to the needy. The clothing bank not only provides clothes, but they also provide housing, job opportunities and food for men, women and children who are not able to provide themselves with these basic needs. At this agency my classmates and I assisted by folding, organizing and hanging clothes. This may seem like an insignificant task, but these tasks, along with other volunteer work and donations, are what allow this non-profit organization to function. This results in creating a positive impact on people's lives. I realized that when doing community service, one not only helps other people, but also gains a sense of satisfaction and realizing that one has made a difference in someone's life. All in all this experience taught me many life lessons and values. Also due to this experience I have been motivated to volunteer again at other places where I can help people who are in need of assistance.
 
Head Start 
By Kaiya Whitfield '23
For community service, I went to Head Start. It is a PreK program that prepares children to enter school and helps them develop their mental, social and emotional skills. Along with providing breakfast and lunch for the kids, they also teach them a variety of words through simple picture books and songs. When I visited, they were learning about the words habitat and clue. At Head Start, I helped the kids with their breakfast and played with them outside. When the teachers were working with them on their words, I sang along with the songs and encouraged the children's good behavior. Overall, I had a great time! During breakfast, I got a chance to talk to them about their favorite animals and television shows. Outside, I played with them and it was very fun! I was also very fascinated with the teachers' methods and thought that making up songs to explain things like the days of the week and how they should stand in line was very helpful to the kids and kept them engaged. I would love to go back and see the kids again! 

By Drew Allen '23
I went to a program called Head Start. Head Start is an organization that provides education to younger children and nutrition and health services for adults. Both of these services are provided to families with lower income in their household. When we went Head Start we were assigned to a classroom, and two of my classmates and I were put into a classroom with about 18 kids. They were eating breakfast when we got there so we sat with them, talked with the kids and waited for them to finish. Then they had story time, and our job was to sit with the kids and make sure they paid attention. After story time, they were able to go play and do whatever they wanted to do in the classroom. The three of us would go around and play with the kids. I stayed with about five or six of them and we played restaurant and read stories. Finally, they had another story and then went outside. Overall, Head Start was a very good experience for me because it feels good to be able to give back to the community around you. All of the kids in that classroom were nice and just wanted to play and show us a lot of things in the classroom. I really enjoyed my experience at Head Start and definitely would consider doing it again.
 
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