JENISON, Mich. — More than 500 students at Bauerwood Elementary traded their usual classroom routine for a hands-on lesson in giving back, packing more than 1,400 meal bags for classmates in need.
The school partnered with nonprofit Hand2Hand for a building-wide packing event held on National Youth Service Day. Throughout the day, students rotated by class, forming an assembly line to fill bags that will be distributed to local children facing food insecurity.
Hand2Hand Executive Director Jodi Joseph said the experience is about more than just packing meals.
“It's really specialanytime that we get invited into one of our school partners. It takes our school partnerships to make this mission run. Anytime that we can be with kids and just have kids helping kids," Joseph said.
The organization provides weekend meal support to students across West Michigan, including some at Bauerwood Elementary.
School leaders say it's a lesson that goes beyond the classroom, showing students the real impact they can have in their own community.
“There's a stereotype that food insecurity only happens in certain areas. It happens all over the world, all over this country, all over Michigan, even in Jenison. For kids to understand that this is an issue that they can help address by working with an organization like Hand2Hand, they get to help out," Bauerwood Principal Sam Lemmon said.
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