Sixth grade students at North Dorchester Middle School completed a month-long food drive as part of their service-learning project in Mrs. Lomax and Ms. Irby’s Social Studies classes. The project was organized by the sixth graders, and all staff and students of the middle school participated in donating the items. The students were able to collect a total of 1,059 food items. The school has partnered with Unity Washington United Methodist Church in Hurlock for the past 6 years to distribute the food to local families in need. The goal of the NDMS students was to make sure that everyone in their own community would have a plentiful Thanksgiving.
Best Practice 1: Meet a Recognized Need in the Community
Students learned about food insecurity and provided resources for those in need who would have otherwise gone without.
Best Practice 2: Achieve Curricular Objectives through Service-Learning
During the Social Studies course, the unit of study was ancient civilizations. Teachers covered instruction on what defines a community and allowed students to research how a community functions and the resources that are needed. Students researched their own communities utilizing the Maryland Poverty Profile.
Best Practice 3: Reflect throughout the Service-Learning Experience
Students were asked to research throughout the project and provide their own reflections through prompts such as:
- What is a community?
- What does your community look like?
- How can you be part of your community?
Best Practice 4: Develop Student Responsibility
During the organization of the food drive, students took on the tasks of advertising and spreading the word through the school community. Students were charged with the collection, sorting, and logging of donated goods. Students also had the opportunity to meet members of the church that would be providing the donated goods to the community.
Best Practice 5: Establish Community Partnerships
Unity Washington United Methodist Church facilitates a food give-away during the winter months to support families and individuals in need. NDMS partnered with the church to add to their programming and support the work that was happening in the community.
Best Practice 6: Plan Ahead for Service-Learning
Teachers planned the lessons and activities. Students learned about food insecurity, community, and ancient civilizations before engaging in the food drive tasks. Food drive tasks consisted of posters, video public service announcements, and daily AM/PM announcements to engage the school community.
Best Practice 7: Equip students with Knowledge & Skills needed for Service
Teachers provided the instruction that equipped students with the background knowledge about why this project was imp
Harford County Public Schools, 2023
Sixth graders in the Blue Team at Bel Air Middle School completed an indirect and advocacy service-learning project in their Social Studies classes. The students partnered with Volun-Teen, a local volunteer organization, to identify the most critically needed items in Harford County food banks. They collected over 600 food items and advocated for increased participation in their food drives among their families and peers. The Blue Team was recognized on the Volun-Teen Facebook page for their tremendous collection efforts.
Best Practice 1: Meet a Recognized Need in the Community
Local food pantries were at a critical low following the winter holiday surge and were in need of items to support many local families.
Best Practice 3: Reflect throughout the Service-Learning Experience
Students were surprised to learn about the types of situations in which people use food pantries. They had assumed that food pantries were only for people who are unhoused or experiencing extreme poverty. Students learned that while some people rely on food pantries frequently, many others go to food pantries at a time of temporary crisis, such as loss of a job, a death in the family, an injury, etc. Students discovered that those families who use local food pantries include children their own age. This awareness about their community increased their kindness and empathy toward others.
Best Practice 4: Develop Student Responsibility
Students were responsible for shopping for the most needed foods with their families and for sorting, categorizing, and counting donations as they were brought in. Students made homeroom announcements to remind their peers about the collection. They maintained an updated total of food items and encouraged participation throughout the drive.
Best Practice 5: Establish Community Partnerships
The students partnered with VolunTeen, a local volunteer organization, to identify the most critically needed items in Harford County food banks.
Best Practice 7: Equip students with Knowledge & Skills needed for Service
Students researched facts and statistics about food pantries in the US and in Harford County and identified the most needed food items in their community. Students displayed their findings in infographic form.
Maryland School for the Deaf, 2023
Students at the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick County, Maryland partnered with the
Sycamore Spring Farm to support its Community Supported Agriculture program.
Best Practice 1: Meet a Recognized Need in the Community
During this service-learning experience, students prepared and provided food bags for their community.
Best Practice 2: Achieve Curricular Objectives through Service-Learning
Students learned about partner relationships and gained an understanding of agriculture.
Best Practice 4: Develop Student Responsibility
Students had the opportunity to grow food, harvest food, pack them in bags, take care of animals (feeding, watering, cleaning), and fix things on the farm such as fences.
Best Practice 5: Establish Community Partnerships
The Maryland School for the Deaf partnered with the Sycamore Spring Farm in Frederick, Maryland.
Best Practice 6: Plan Ahead for Service-Learning
Students obtained permission to participate in the service experiences, scheduled a meeting with the owner of the farm, discussed a list of projects to do, and walked through the area in order to complete the service-learning projects.
Contact:
Lauren McKinley, M.Ed.
Service-Learning Specialist, Youth Development Branch
Office: (410) 767-0357
lauren.mckinley@maryland.gov
Reginald Burke, M.S.
Director, Youth Development Branch
Office: (410) 767-0313
reginald.burke@maryland.gov