6th Graders Give Back in a Big Way!
Recently our sixth graders completed their first service project of the year by collecting boxes of cereal. Cereal you may ask? Yes, cereal. The class, led by their teacher Mrs. McDevitt, decided they wanted to help the local community around them in a practical, but meaningful way. Mrs. McDevitt knew of a local non-profit called Benny’s Bodega, that could be a perfect match for their goal…and they just so happened to be low on cereal. So…they came up with a plan. “Bring in as many unopened cereal boxes as you can,” was the initial direction and the kids took off! Over the course of a few weeks, 6th graders, alongside students in grades K-5, collected cereal boxes to bring to Benny’s Bodega on January 5th. By the morning of delivery day, they had collected OVER 356 boxes of cereal! WOW!
Students then took a trip to Benny’s Bodega in Newton, Sussex County and stocked the shelves themselves. Benny’s Bodega was overwhelmed with gratitude and shared with students that their impact was changing lives. These students were truly making a difference. Students left the bodega feeling a sense of accomplishment, but more importantly, they realized their behavior was Christ-like and giving back & supporting those around them is the way they want to live their lives.
Benny’s Bodega is a local non-profit organization with a simple mission…people helping people. It runs with no government assistance and continues to make a positive impact in the community by donations given by supporters. Benny’s focuses on the A.L.I.C.E (Asset limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population in Sussex County. These are the people who are working hard, not making enough to get by but making too much for any government assistance. Recently Benny’s was able to help 5 local families pay for 3 months of rent or mortgage payments totaling close to $25,000. This was possible through the generosity of local donors, fundraisers and donations from the community.
Overall it was a wonderful experience for all involved. Check out what the owners of Benny’s Bodega had to say on their live stream!