ATLANTIC CITY – Catholic Charities Diocese of Camden staff and volunteers welcomed rising sophomores, juniors and seniors to the office here for some much-needed relief – not just from the workload, but with some heavy lifting on a hot morning in June.
“It’s very important to have the volunteers help out, especially with the amount of people with hardships right now,” said Nicole Warriner, case manager. “There are a lot of evictions, a lot of homelessness … so it’s great to have the students help make sandwiches and hygiene bags so we always have them available for those in need.”
Ten students from Saint Augustine Preparatory School, Richland, spent a few hours filling paper sacks with non-perishable food items; making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; and gathering toothpaste, shampoo, razors and other personal items into plastic storage bags.
Among the many services provided by the Catholic Charities office located behind Saint Michael Church, Parish of Saint Monica, are snack bags for the homeless and groceries for those with access to cooking and storing.
Rising junior Charles Schneider said he appreciated the opportunity to relieve the workers and volunteers. “It feels good to spread positivity and help the community, to do what we are taught as Catholics.”
Such is the goal of the school’s Third Semester program. Every spring, students spend the last weeks of the school year off campus for service-oriented trips or projects.
History teacher Mark Blystone took his students around South Jersey and beyond, with them helping out at organizations including Catholic Charities, the Sisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Center in Camden, Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary in Mays Landing, and the Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor (A.D.R.O.P.) in Philadelphia.
“We’re doing the corporal works of mercy, putting faith in action,” he said. “All year long, in all of their classes, we try to model good behavior, concern for others, concern for the poor. One hour of doing it out in the real world is, I think, better than hearing a teacher talk about it for nine months. I hope they get a better understanding of the world around them.”
Such was the case for rising junior Lorenzo Lopes, who sparked a conversation with his father after the volunteer work at A.D.R.O.P. The organization helps many in the community such as the poor, those without a voice and immigrants.
“My dad is an immigrant from Cape Verde, Africa,” Lopes said. “So I thought it was interesting to learn more about the people who struggled to come here. I went home and talked to my dad about his experience coming to America in 2001. We talked about how he was lucky that he was able to financially support himself to come here and also how other people don’t have that chance.”
Marco Levari, a rising senior, chimed in to Lopes’ story. “We all go to see a lot of things the past two weeks. It was a real eye-opener and a lesson to not take things for granted.”
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”
