Lower School Packs 10,000 Meals with Rise Against Hunger

On April 8, the Lower School community partnered with Rise Against Hunger to package 10,000 meals in just over two hours, continuing a longstanding tradition of service.

The morning began in Lower School Chapel, where Head Chaplain Fr. Tim Gavin, Hon. introduced the Rise Against Hunger program with a simple exercise: he asked students to raise their hands if they had eaten breakfast. Nearly every hand went up. He then asked if they would eat lunch, a snack, and dinner that day, with similar results. The moment prompted students to consider that while many have consistent access to food, others around the world do not. "I'm so happy that all of us have that nourishment," he said. "Unfortunately, there are people around the world who don't have that promise of food every day."

Fr. Tim connected the reflection to the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, emphasizing the impact of small contributions made together. "Today, we will also learn that our worship leads to service," he said. "The best way we can show our love for God is by serving our neighbors—those we know and those we don't know."

Following Chapel, students moved to the Lower School Dining Hall, where the space was transformed into a high-energy meal-packing operation. Each grade rotated through timed shifts led by 5th grade homerooms, working alongside teachers and parent volunteers to measure, weigh, seal, and box meals.

The pace remained steady throughout the morning, and each sound of the gong—marking another 1,000 meals completed—prompted cheers as the total quickly climbed to 10,000.

"Thank you to our many parent volunteers and the EAPA who supported both the early morning setup and the packing shifts," Fr. Tim said. "Their help ensured the success of this meaningful program and showed our students that by working together, we can be part of something greater and accomplish the great task of feeding 10,000 people."

Lower School Stripes Teacher Cathie Hicks said this day of service is one of her favorite days of the school year. "It was a wonderful morning together as a Lower School community, and it was a great opportunity for all students to participate in a service project that makes a big impact globally," she said. "Students remember this time of service and will often ask throughout the year when it is time to do Rise Against Hunger again. The EAPA was incredibly helpful in getting this event on campus, and we are so grateful to them and the parent volunteers who kept things moving!"