Students stood on one end of the table, smiling as they handed out bags filled with food and essential supplies to individuals and families dressed in layers. The sounds of “Thank you” and “Have a good day!” filled the hallway, creating a heartwarming atmosphere.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day service event, organized by principal Mr. Andrew Benzing and assistant principal Mrs. Andrea LaPira, saw about 40 Haven students travel by bus to Chester, PA on January 20. The students split into two groups: one went to the ACCESS Center and the other to CityTeam Chester.
“Haven kids in general are great,” Benzing said. “Everybody’s busy, but for them to take time out of their day off to make it a day on and serve is all the better, and spectacular.”
Students at the ACCESS Center prepared bags with everyday necessities, such as food, a toothbrush, toilet paper, shirts, and more for people in need.
“It feels good because if you’re just sitting around, knowing that people don’t really have much food-wise and all that, it feels good to actually do something for other people, instead of knowing that it’s there,” junior Bailey Anderson said.
The students had an hour and a half to prepare all the resource bags for people to collect at noon.
“It was definitely a lot of fun, especially when we came out and started giving out the food,” senior Emily Beck said. “All the people who came in seemed to really enjoy it, and it was really nice to talk and meet these people.”
This was the first time Haven students attended the ACCESS Center after several years of in-house service events at Strath Haven High School and Strath Haven Middle School.
“We wanted to get their hands actually doing the service because our students were a little older,” Benzing said. “We already have plans, I think, for next year to say, if we started earlier, we could expand the organizations that we reach out to.”
Haven students’ efforts helped the ACCESS Center staff ensure they had enough bags for everyone in need.
“For the young adults from Strath Haven to be here is a reminder for us, who are a little bit older, that there’s great hope in the future with these wonderful young people who took a day to honor Dr. King by helping us out,” ACCESS director Sister Maggie Gannon, OSF said.
