Students at Montgomery Elementary went above and beyond in their quest to aid the less fortunate this year, with final tallies showing hundreds of donations made to local shelters and food pantries as part of their two-week-long Martin Luther King Day of Service projects.
The grade-level service projects included Giving Tree service project kits — Hunger Buster Bags which were secured via a $500 #MontcoServes grant — along with DIY Kindness Cup kits, DIY Sock and Snack Roll kits, a clothing drive for men’s professional wear benefitting The Wardrobe and a clothing drive for women’s professional clothing benefitting Dress for Success.
All told, students and their families donated more than 630 individual kits for distribution at local shelters and food pantries, as well as another 189 trash bags filled with clothing donations.
“My entire garage was full of clothing donations and Giving Tree service projects,” said Emily Kline, who spearheaded the initiatives as president of the Montgomery Elementary Home and School. “I had no idea what to expect, but I felt confident in the generosity of Montgomery's amazing families. The wonderful women at The Giving Tree didn't know what to expect either. The had never implemented a DIY model before, and I don't know that they were expecting the massive response that we got.”
Officials said previous service projects included students creating placemats for Manna on Main Street, handmade dog toys for local animal shelters, packages of school supplies for children in Togo, Africa and food donations for Manna on Main Street.
'We always encourage Montgomery's students to be a solution within our community, and to actively seek opportunities to help others,” said Montgomery Elementary Principal TJ Seidenberger. “By participating in service activities, our students are able to develop empathy and respect for others, as well as a deeper understanding of themselves.”
This year’s projects posed a more difficult challenge, however, as they occurred during the coronavirus pandemic with students receiving instruction virtually, in-person or hybrid.
“This year was trickier, with half of the students virtual,” said Kline. “So, the idea of 'grab n go' kits that could be picked up by families from bins outside school and dropped back off once completed was the easiest way to ensure that all students were able to participate.”
And participate they did, garnering far more donations than organizers had anticipated.
“While I knew that a two-week long service initiative incorporating multiple service project opportunities was a big ask during a challenging time, I was confident that Montgomery's families would deliver,” said Kline. “The fact that we ended up with more completed service projects than we had take-home kits demonstrates the incredible spirit of our school. This is a testament to our community, and an extraordinary tribute to Dr. King's legacy of service.”
Check out images of some of the K-6 students participating in the initiatives below.
See also:
North Penn Approves Plan To Partially Return To 5 Day In-Person Instruction
North Penn School District Serves 1 Millionth Free Meal To Students During Pandemic
North Penn School District Earns Meritorious Budget Award For Sixth Straight Year
Pennsylvania Schools Receive $2.2B Pandemic Relief Aid
North Penn Begins Assurance Testing Of Staff For COVID-19
