Volunteer Efforts Mark MLK Day of Service January 15, 2018
An outpouring of generosity helped junior high school students in the religious education program collect more than 300 food items for the South Suburban Family Shelter.
The collection was part of the Homewood-Flossmoor area’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Parishioners drove up to the curb in front of the Burke Center on Jan. 15 and the boys unloaded donations. Inside the items were unpacked, counted and sorted by girls.
In addition to the food, 80 pieces of clothing, mostly for children, were donated, as well as $40 in cash and Target gift cards.
The student volunteers were organized by Religious Education Director Karen Shifflett and parents Rita Davenport and Gina Banks.
South Suburban Family Shelter is based in Homewood. The not-for-profit agency provides comprehensive services for families who experience domestic violence, including a 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter, counseling for adult victims and their children, abuser intervention, court and medical advocacy, a prevention program and outreach/ training programs.
Food staples fill the table in the Burke Center. Helping with the collection are, from left, Kira Chiver, parent volunteer Gina Banks, Grace Opyd, Morgan Davenport and Stephanie Rose. More than 300 items were collected in two hours. Donations went to South Suburban Family Shelter. Children’s clothing was donated by parishioners for people in need. Junior high volunteers who helped sort the items were, from left, Morgan Davenport, Kira Chiver, Stephanie Rose and Grace Opyd sorted items for South Suburban Family Shelter.
Junior high students, from left, Patrick Donahue, Charlie Anderson, Charlie Van Etten, Alex Bertucci, David Anderson and Joe Boldt were the outside crew who collected donations at the curb in front of the Burke Center. They then helped pack some of the food items collected as part of their Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day project.