Community Service at Ambrit: February 2009

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Saturday bagging

Even teachers come to help with preparing food packages on Saturdays in Trastevere. On Saturday February 14th, Loretta Nannini and Jeanne-Marie Byron collected packages of pasta from gift boxes donated by Telecomitalia to add to the "pacchi cucina" for this week. Jill Wiebe lent a hand on a Saturday in November and followed up by bringing her husband and daughter another Saturday.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

STUCO sandwiches

Sandwich making (almost) always takes place on Thursdays, when Student Council has its weekly meeting. There was one week in February, when the distribution was on a Wednesday instead, enabling members of StuCo to participate. As leaders in the Middle School, they did a fantastic job of organizing and completing the task quickly and efficiently.

THURSDAY SANDWICH MAKING

Every other Thursday, Ambrit middle schoolers join together to make sandwiches for the needy here in Rome. Each time we meet, a different homeroom is invited to help prepare 40 sandwiches which are then distributed that very evening by the Community of Sant'Egidio, in several of the neighborhoods in the "zona Flaminio". Although the students' work in the preparation is carried out during the morning break time, you can see from their comments that nobody seems to mind giving up this precious free time to do a good deed for others!

SATURDAY BAGGING

On Saturday afternoons, Ambrit students and teachers sometimes lend a hand at a Welcome Center in Trastevere run by the Community of Sant'Egidio (click here for more info: http://www.santegidio.org/en/solidarieta/senzadimora/centri.htm ) by helping to assemble "cucina" and "non-cucina" packages of food which are distributed during the week to the many people in need in Rome...both to homeless as well as to families and individuals who simply cannot make it to the end of the month without some form of food assistance. This work includes unloading one or two vans loaded down with beans, pasta, rice, biscuits, and other foodstuffs which are then packaged up into individual bags which are given to those served at the center. It is a great way to spend an hour or two on a Saturday afternoon, and as every person who has ever been there has experienced, this is one place where ONE MORE SET OF HANDS REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE!!

Community Service at Ambrit