According to Mecklenburg Country government, nearly 15 percent of households in the county are considered food insecure. The financial hardships associated with our current pandemic have further disrupted resident’s ability to secure healthy food due to lack of money and resources. This past fall, Country Day students, employees, and families have stepped up in numerous ways to support Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, which “strives through education, advocacy, and partnerships to eliminate hunger by the solicitation and distribution of food.”
11th Annual Walk of Hope
The week before Thanksgiving break, the Middle School accepted food donations during carpool and held its 11th annual Walk of Hope. On the Thursday and Friday of that week, students walked the track during PE to raise awareness and in support of donations family made to support the cause. The Middle School raised $1,600 and “we will donate the money and collected canned goods to Second Harvest, so that folks in our community have a better chance to have food to eat and not know and feel hunger,” said Warren Sepkowitz, Head of Middle School.
See more photos on Instagram.
Over the years, Walk for Hope donations have also supported Levine Children's Hospital, Susan B. Komen Foundation, Maddie Rucker Scholarship Fund, Humane Society, Amaranto School in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Salvation Army Disaster Relief Fund, Beds for Kids, Rebuild Puerto Rico, American Red Cross, Friendship Trays, and the Alzheimer's Association.
Schoolwide Spirit Collection
In mid-October, during our all-school spirit celebration, students collected more than 10,770 pounds of canned food in support of Second Harvest Food Bank. During what is traditionally Spirit Week for the Upper School (which moved to spring this year), our older students delivered in a big way. “We are so proud of the number of cans we collected as a school,” said Natalie Hutchison, Upper School dean of students. “The total for the Upper School is just shy of 9,000 cans! This incredible contribution will go to Second Harvest Food Bank to feed hungry families around Charlotte and will make a huge impact in our community.”
Baking a Difference
Last spring during shutdown, then-juniors Garrett Portland and Lizzie Foster combined their love of baking and service into a business called Baking A Difference. Using family recipes, they baked and delivered pound cakes to friends and family with a percentage of proceeds going to Second Harvest Food Bank.
Both girls are in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and reflected on their experience for the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) component of IB. “Lizzie and I looked into several different organizations, but we decided to go with Second Harvest Food Bank because so many individuals are food insecure, especially during the pandemic,” wrote Garrett. “Fortunately, we got to fulfill a need while participating in one of our favorite hobbies. Baking also allowed us to reconnect with family over quarantine. Even though we couldn’t see our grandmas due to the virus, Lizzie and I called and exchanged text messages with them to get their advice and feedback about our desserts.”
If you’d like to support Garrett and Lizzie, you can reach them via their Instagram page.
You Can Help on December 18
The annual Holiday Breakfast tradition may look a little different this year, but it will still convey the same festive and joyous spirit! The Parents' Association is partnering with the Upper School Interact Club and Roof Above to offer a Holiday Donation Drive-Thru. Also, the Interact Club will continue their longtime tradition of feeding those in need. This year, they will deliver 150 meals to Roof Above, donated by our food services provider, Aladdin.
The Holiday Drive Donation Drive-Thru takes place December 18, 9:30-11 am. Learn more here.