Grades kindergarten through eighth at Kirkland (Wash.) Seventh-day Adventist School (KSDA) joined together this winter to gather donations for Hand in Hand, an organization that "provides critical care and support for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect … and are entering foster care."
Hand in Hand supports foster families in Washington state in many ways, and KSDA’s involvement with collecting emergency food is an impactful one. Coordinated by seventh-grade instructor Dawn Campanello, classes collected canned and dry foods for boxes that will provide a family of four with food for one week. In total, KSDA students, families and staff collected enough food for six families.
Seventh-grader Matthew Dominguez says, “I was impacted by seeing the need that people have in our own neighborhoods, and sometimes we don’t notice and don’t help. By bringing food to the school to be taken to families who need it, we are filling a need of people who don’t have the same privileges we have. When we think of donating food we may think about the people [abroad] ... do we think about the people who need things in our own neighborhoods?”
Hand in Hand abides by the mission statement of James 1:27: “Pure and genuine belief in the sight of God means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” Connecting with and supporting the local community, especially those in need, is important to the KSDA family, following Jesus’ ministry on Earth.
“I was overwhelmed by how much food came in, especially as I tried to load it into a pickup truck," says Campanello. "I also had the privilege of delivering it and saw how others were amazed at how much food I had for them. The appreciation just flowed from the building. I love projects that help us learn unselfishness.” KSDA staff and students look forward to many more diverse opportunities to interact with and serve in their community.
For more information about Hand in Hand, visit www.handinhandkids.org
Dawn Campanello’s seventh-grade students help sort and box food for delivery to foster families.
