5th Annual Food & Supply Drive
A joint effort of WFM and WSF to benefit The Nurturing Place
This initiative supports WSF's trifold mission to enhance the educational experience of WFM students, promote parental involvement and foster a relationship between WFM and the wider community. We didn't have to look far to find a worthy local community in need. The York Street Project is a Jersey City institution that aims to help women with education, child care and housing - three key areas that impede them from achieving self-sufficient and fulfilling lives. The Nurturing Place is The York Street Project’s childhood development center for homeless and low-income infants and children whose mothers reside at or attend the high school at The York Street Project. The Nurturing Place strives to restore self-esteem and address developmental delays in children who have experienced hunger and poverty.
“Little drops of water ... make the mighty ocean”
While our individual influence may be small, there is no doubt as to our community's collective impact.
Here's an aggregate of (almost) everything donated by our school families: -
7,720 baby wipes
1,703 diapers
215 kitchen products, cleaning supplies and paper goods
212 non-perishable dried food items
176 cans and jars of food
$150 in gift cards
149 baby formula and food items
80 batteries
68 toiletries
40 children's underwear
33 pounds of cereal
22 toothbrushes
15 bibs
And this doesn't take into account the items that were donated online and shipped directly to The Nurturing Place. All your donations were delivered to The Nurturing Place and The York Street Project. They were overwhelmed and thankful for each and every item.
Every one of your donations will make a difference to someone's life! Donations of diapers and baby wipes are much needed and appreciated as they are not covered by food stamps and we all know how those items are indispensable when taking care of young children. Every food item will be distributed to the children who live there, and more importantly, as a to-go bag for the children who live off the premises when they leave The Nurturing Place at the end of the day so that they have some food in hand for the night.
Community Service
In addition to the donation of supplies, the drive supports the community service component of the Middle School IB curriculum. Over the course of three morning visits, the Middle School ('MS') students personally delivered some of the donated items and thereafter, spent an hour with the young children (aged from 4 months to 6 years old) at The Nurturing Place. MS students read books, danced, played ‘dress up’, fed babies, made imprints of babies’ feet and basically, entertained the young children. At the end of the visit, those children didn't want the MS students to leave and seeing the fun the MS students had, it seemed like the feeling was mutual! The coordinator of The Nurturing Place was impressed with the enthusiasm of the MS students and was grateful for the time and attention that the MS students showered on the children.
Thank You
This initiative is truly a collaborative effort. A big thank you to the Middle School teachers and WFM’s Ms. Laura for their help with coordinating the students' visits, the Middle School students for their enthusiastic participation and also for designing the beautiful poster and flyer for WSF's use (our first student-designed poster!), WFM's Mr. Craig for helping to transport the donated items to The York Street Project, and most of you, thank you to the parents for your generous donations - none of this would have been possible without you!