Each year right before Christmas, St. John’s Episcopal Church (located in Blackwood) brings cooked food to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church located in the city of Camden for a dinner for the homeless. Congregation and local community members from St. John’s donate food for the dinner. When students from the Archway School at Cooper’s Poynt found out about the event, they wanted to be a part of it and figure out how they would be able to give back having so little themselves. The idea first came to fruition when teachers were discussing kindness with their students and how important it is to give back to those in need, especially during the holiday season. The kids brainstormed ideas of what they could do to help their local community. This is when the idea sparked to help the homeless. Archway Paraprofessional Dave Martinez is a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church and has volunteered at the annual dinner for the homeless in past years, and knew that this would be a good fit.

Typically, volunteers donate food for the dinner, however the kids wanted to put together bags for the homeless full of items they may need. Archway teachers all chipped in and purchased items to fill the Gallon sized bags which included breakfast bars, chips, granola bars, mints, travel-sized toiletries, a winter hat and gloves, warm socks, as well as a pen and paper. Martinez coordinated getting the bags to the dinner so they could be handed out. Archway students are pictured below proudly holding the bags for the homeless.

“The pen and paper is something that the kids all felt strongly about. They thought it might be helpful to be able to jot down useful information. They also thought the pen and paper could be used to write down feelings and/or express themselves, which I thought was very thoughtful of the students,” said Dave Martinez, Paraprofessional at the Archway School at Cooper’s Poynt.

Way to go Archway School at Cooper’s Poynt! #ArchwayProud

To learn more about the Archway School at Cooper’s Poynt, please click here.

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