Service Projects Empower Holy Trinity Students to Make a Difference in Their Community

From food drives for a local pantry, meal service in a soup kitchen, financial support of a local pregnancy center and projects in local churches, students at Holy Trinity Catholic School in York know service is part of their education.

With PreK kids joining older students in counting potatoes to be sorted for distribution at the Catholic Harvest Food Pantry before Thanksgiving and sixth graders serving meals at Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, every individual plays a part in lending a hand to people in need in their community.

“We aim to keep the volunteer efforts pretty constant,” said principal John Scimeca. “In a Catholic worldview, we want to let our light shine for others, and that’s very easy for all of our students to understand.”

Located on the campus of St. Patrick Parish and across the corner from Immaculate Conception Parish, Holy Trinity is situated in the heart of downtown York, two blocks from Our Daily Bread and a mile from Catholic Harvest Food Pantry.

Last month’s food drive for the soup kitchen was a particularly significant effort for the students to get involved in, as the number of total meals served at Our Daily Bread increased by 11,000 this year.

And the pantry, which is supported by Immaculate Conception, St. Rose of Lima, St. Patrick and St. Joseph parishes, among other churches and organizations in the York area, provides food and personal care items to 850 families each month.

“There is a visible need around us. Our students see that every day coming to school. Because of where we are located, we have a number of opportunities to get our students involved in service,” Scimeca said.

And the kids and families are eager to respond. There’s a high participation rate in the school’s service projects.

“We have families bringing in multiple bags and boxes of highly requested items and it strikes me because some of them have a degree of need themselves,” Scimeca said.

During Catholic Schools Week in late January, they’ll respond with donations of non-perishable items during the York Deanery schools’ annual Battle of the Buildings event. They’ll also take on a “Coin Wars” fundraiser to benefit the Women’s Care Center’s baby bottle collection.

“The students really contribute to fill the baby bottles in their classrooms,” said sixth-grade teacher Carlie Sartiano. “They donate their allowance for the week or ask their parents what else they can do to earn money to give to the women and children supported by the center.”

“While the Coin Wars are a competition between grades and classrooms, the kids see it as winning for someone in need, not for themselves,” she said.

The Coin Wars fundraiser in Lent last year raised $1,026 for the Women’s Care Center.

Parish-centered volunteer projects are part of the service efforts, too. At the end of the liturgical year in late November, for instance, students changed out former Missals for the current cycle. The bond between the parishes and school is further strengthened by visiting priests and deacons from Holy Trinity’s three supporting parishes – St. Patrick and Immaculate Conception in York and St. Joseph in Dallastown.

“The students love helping others. They look forward to the service projects every year and will often ask about the activities before we even announce them,” Sartiano said. “The older students are eager to step up and take a different role in leadership. You see a different side of the students when it comes to the efforts – they’re all in and you can tell that it means a lot to them to be able to help.”

“I’m so proud of them and their efforts,” Scimeca remarked. “I want our students and families to see these service projects as an encounter. We never want to place ourselves on a pedestal of giving because of ourselves. I want them to see their own hands and feet in service to others.”

Learn more about Holy Trinity School in York at https://htcsyork.org/.

(Photos courtesy of Holy Trinity School.)

By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness