High School volunteers partner with The Salvation Army to organize food distribution for Global Youth Service Day
Originally published at: https://www.mlive.com/flinttownship/index.ssf/2013/05/powers_catholic_high_school_vo.html
In recognition of Global Youth Service Day, on April 26, thirty-six students from the Powers Catholic High School (Flint, Michigan) Lacrosse team volunteered 176 hours to host a mass food distribution at the Genesee County Salvation Army downtown Flint facility. Students, staff and parents distributed almost 4 tons of food to 247 families in only 2 ½ hours.
A unique twist to this mass food distribution is that money collected from the fountains at Genesee Valley Center provided the funding necessary for this project. Over $800 was collected from the mall’s fountains in the last several months, that money was used to purchase food from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, that same food was then distributed free of charge to over 800 individuals who lined up in front of The Salvation Army office as early as 6:00 am in the morning for the 10:00 am distribution.
“The Powers Lacrosse team, parents and Coach Chuck Vierk are an amazing group. After ringing at our Red Kettles for our Christmas campaign, they approached us wanting to do something more. When Genesee Valley Center donated the fountain money, an idea was born. This group put heart, soul and a whole lot of muscle, into their work. We deeply appreciate the mall and the team for making this distribution a reality,” stated Marcia Heller, the Genesee County Salvation Army Volunteer Coordinator.
Powers Catholic High School Lacrosse team volunteers were joined by young people around the world in celebrating the 25th anniversary of Global Youth Service Day (GYSD). As the largest service event in the world, GYSD caps National Volunteer Week in the United States, and coincides with other major international events, such as Earth Day.
For more pictures, visit the Salvation Army Genessee County (Greater Flint, Michigan area) Facebook at www.facebook.com/salarmygenesee.org .