Lending a helping hand, a group of Fridley High School (FHS) Minnesota Honor Society (MHS) members volunteered to help put Thanksgiving meals on the tables of local community members. On November 20, 2020, the group assisted the Anoka County Brotherhood Council (ACBC) Food Shelf with its annual Thanksgiving Day food distribution program, which provides families with a full holiday meal: turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, vegetables, and a pie with all the fixings. The opportunity was organized by MHS students to give back to the local community during the holiday season.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, ACBC organized the holiday distribution program in a drive-through format with a goal of distributing to 600 families in 600 minutes. The FHS students worked in groups to quickly and safely distribute meal packages to families as they remained in their cars.
“Especially during the holidays, everyone deserves to have a nice meal with their family. With everything going on with COVID-19, it’s hard for some families to make that happen,” said Greta McCoy, FHS junior. “That’s why I wanted to come out today and volunteer. If you’re able, it’s really important to do what you can and help out.”
Michael Jensen, FHS senior and MHS officer, said they chose serving at ACBC as a way for the group to support families locally. “Through ACBC, everything stays local and there are many families who need assistance right here in our community. By volunteering today, MHS is able to help out our neighbors,” said Jensen. “Our group wants to show care and compassion, and maybe it can inspire others to do the same.”
As an International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools district, learning through service is a teaching method across all four IB programmes (Primary Year, Middle Years, Diploma and Career-related), and is a requirement for students to complete as part of the IB Diploma Programme. Throughout their Fridley education, students are encouraged to participate in service experiences, where they gain a well-rounded education and awareness for social responsibility.
“Compared to other schools that focus on AP (Advanced Placement), much of their focus is on rigor and that’s it,” said Abhinav Bijlwan, FHS senior. “IB adds the factor of creating well-rounded students. IB definitely provides that rigor, and also builds character, value in volunteerism and giving back to the community, and global contexts and views. It’s really a whole education.”
FHS junior Priya Rana added, “At FHS, especially since we are IB, we focus a lot on helping out the community and volunteering, which is why we have so many clubs that are centered around this,” she said. “The IB helps us to be good students, and part of that is giving back to our community.”
By serving communities at a local, national, or international scale, FHS students place a strong value on civic engagement and responsibility.
Due to the challenges of the pandemic, many area food shelves have experienced significant increases in need, while also managing a decrease in volunteers.
ACBC Executive Director Stephanie Lehman and her staff, impressed with the timeliness, commitment, and kindness of the Fridley students, expressed their appreciation to the students for assisting with the holiday distribution.
“Clearly this type of program would not run without volunteers, and I think it’s really important for students to get involved in programs like these,” said Lehman. “It’s all about having compassion for your community and feeling like you are part of the community. This is a great way for students to feel that and give back.”
