“How exciting it is to see so many young kids with passion and compassion for others.”
April was filled with multiple energized and fast-paced visits from the second-grade classes from both Southcrest Christian School and Trinity Christian School. Their collective excitement and desire to learn permeated the building and each staff and volunteer that got to interact with them.
Prior to their visits, both second grade groups spent a few weeks collecting items (Trinity Christian collected gently used shoes and Southcrest Christian School collected boxes of sugared cereal). Their gifts were generous- Trinity brought in over 600 pairs of kids’ shoes and Southcrest Christian School supplied over 630 boxes of cereal. Past their generous donations however, the second graders, their teachers and parents came ready to serve and see their gifts through. With open minds ready to learn and hands ready to serve, they soaked in information about Lubbock Impact and our mission, and the ways in which we are constantly working to alleviate poverty in our Lubbock community.
As Trinity Christian School organized, labeled and put away the hundreds of shoes that they donated, we had conversations surrounding their questions like “what happens if you run out of shoes?” or “what if a kid needs more than one pair of shoes?” As they asked these questions and learned from doing, the teachers and staff could watch them process the information and see with their own eyes the value of the help that they were providing. One girl searched the shoe closet for the correct space to put a pair of shoes that she donated. As she found the space, she mentioned to one of our staff, “this used to be my favorite pair of shoes. I hope some other girl who needs them likes them just as much.”
On a different day, Southcrest Christian School second graders filled the sanctuary with hundreds of boxes of their favorite kinds of cereal, ready with sharpies and sharp eyes to label and order the boxes in order of expiration date. They organized and then in assembly line fashion, took boxes upon boxes to the food pantry. As they put the boxes away, they got to learn about how some of our friends cannot afford things like cereal and how valuable a box of Cheerios is to a family needing some help. Their helping hands and compassionate hearts were so excited to help and as they filed out for the day, we heard many of them mention things like “I’m going to bring more cereal soon, so they don’t run out!”
Second grade is not too young to get involved and begin to understand the struggles and obstacles that others go through. Even little, hardworking hands can make a huge impact on the lives of so many. Thank you, parents and teachers, of Trinity Christian School and Southcrest Christian School, for instilling the importance of service, compassion and giving back from a young age. It’s inspiring to have young hearts and hands with a passion for helping others!