Waving posters and shouting “Food for all,” the students of St. Mary of the Mills School marched down Laurel’s Main Street Oct. 28 to bring awareness to food insecurity.
“We have been doing a walk for … at least 30 years,” Elise Merlo, school counselor, said. “This is the first year we focused on food insecurity.”
Past walks have focused on the homeless, a topic that is more “distant” to the students, she said, adding that food insecurity is a lot more tangible to them.
“A lot of our families are experiencing difficulties. The government shutdown hit home with them,” she said.
Throughout the week leading up to the walk, students in all grades learned about the challenges families face when unable to afford food. Students collected 700 cans of food for the church’s food pantry.
“This is important not only for what they did this week collecting food,” Father Marco Schad, pastor of St. Mary of the Mills Catholic Church said, as he joined the students for the march. “Imagine in their future, they will be able to make decisions, to be generous and look out for others not in the same situation as they are.”
Shad said that St. Mary of the Mills’ food pantry serves 40 families each week, and he believes that number will rise if the government shutdown continues.
“It’s amazing. Students get the opportunity to see where the food they bring in is sent to,” Kristen Murray, a third grade teacher at the school said. “They learn to help others.”
Summer Johnson, a chaperone who has a fifth grader at the school, was there to support her child and the school.
“We talked about the importance of food for all,” Johnson said. “Anybody could need support from food banks.”
As the students marched down first one side of Main Street and then up the other, cars honked in support and people waved from their doors and windows.
“It’s important to spread awareness in our community,” Olivia Gilmer, a 14-year-old eighth grader said. “This is a fun way.”