St. Philip Neri third graders conducted a service project with the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank this week packaging nearly 6,700 pounds in food items.
We are so thankful for St. Philip Neri’s Catholic School’s third grade class for volunteering their time to fight hunger in Oklahoma,“ said Rodney Bivens, Executive Director of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. “Thanks to their hard work, the students packed more than 5,500 meals for children, families and seniors struggling with hunger over the holiday season.” Third grader, Andrew Cleary explained that their teacher emphasized the importance of the task at hand, “Mrs. Outhier asked us to work our hardest because it was a special project- a service project to help others.” Andrew continued, “It’s fun to help. Jesus taught us to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I learned that years ago in Pre-K!”
One in six Oklahomans has inconsistent access to food. The Regional Food Bank is the largest private, domestic hunger-relief organization in Oklahoma. Last year, 49.9 million pounds of food were distributed through a network of 1,250 charitable feeding programs and schools in 53 Oklahoma counties.
Volunteers are crucial to the success of the Regional Food Bank and community service a standard in the advanced curriculum of St. Philip Neri Catholic School. When 8 year old
Andrew was challenged with the question, “What if you don’t have time to volunteer?” He replied with a laugh, “You do- everyone has time to help.”