On October 4, 2018, eleven BGA juniors, accompanied by Mr. Kevin McCarthy, volunteered at TASK (Trenton Area Soup Kitchen) for the first time this school year. The students served approximately 200 lunches at the soup kitchen.
Before leaving, at the pre-soup kitchen prayer and gathering, Sister Cynthia gave a beautiful message to the student and adult volunteers. Since it was the feast day of Saint Francis, Sister Cynthia challenged the volunteers to bring the mission spoken in the Prayer of St. Francis to those at TASK.
Here are a few examples how the students brought St. Francis’ message:
Alba felt the line; “Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” was the most appropriate to describe her experience. She said; “You would think the people who go to TASK would be angry at the world but in reality, they are the sweetest people you will ever meet.”
Dashley connected to the line; “Where there is darkness, light.” She explained; “I feel like the guests came in feeling a little sad but, once I got to serve them their food, they had smiles on their faces.”
Many of the students felt the line “Where there is despair, hope.” was most fitting to describe their time at TASK:
Jayana reflected; “While I was at TASK I could see the dull expressions on all of the peoples face but as soon as you gave them the food or say something as simple as “have a nice day” their whole day changed for the better.”
Carly said; “Seeing the many options that TASK provides for the people in aspects such as jobs and opportunities made me feel like there is hope for everyone even in their hardest times.”
Finally, Teresa exclaimed; “When I saw the clients get their food their faces just lit up with hope!”
It was a great start to another wonderful school year volunteering at TASK!