Hello JP!

Thanks to all who helped with our JP Service Project in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Last month, Johnson Park students learned about four wonderful local organizations - SAVE Animal Shelter, Princeton First Aid and Rescue, Princeton Mobile Food Pantry (PMFP), and Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK). 

Last week, our students rolled up their sleeves and packed care bags for TASK and Princeton Mobile Food Pantry. Class began with Ms. Henderson reading The Invisible by Tom Percival, and Ms. Crespo teaching "This Little Light of Mine," a powerful message that she also connected to the gospel tradition and Black History Month. 

Lisa Robinson and a team of parent volunteers led the students in decorating and packing bags of water, granola bars, chips, and other snacks to be distributed by TASK and  Princeton Mobile Food Pantry. Together, we packed over 1200 bags in five days! Special thanks to the PTO parent volunteers who drove carfuls of donations to Pantry and TASK in this frigid weather. The snacks for Pantry have already been distributed to local families with last week's grocery deliveries, and TASK employees told us that 800 snack bags are deeply appreciated and will be distributed in a matter of days. In other words, our students' efforts and care made an immediate positive impact on our community. 

We are grateful to everyone who helped make this project possible, including Dr. Young, Ms. Crespo, Ms. Henderson, Ms. Kukla, Ms. Whitmore, Lisa Robinson, Rob Wuertz, Danny Allen, and Maggie Phrompechrut. 

Please enjoy the photos below. We're so proud of our caring students! 



If you'd like to learn more about the Princeton Mobile Food Pantry or TASK, here are short videos we recorded to help our students see the orgs in action. Special thanks to PMS student, Everett Allen, who made the TASK video! 

Princeton Mobile Food Pantry video
Trenton Area Food Kitchen video

PS. Did you know SAVE Animal Shelter runs a PAWS FOR READING Program every Thursday, 4-5pm? Students age 8-15 can read to the animals. Check out the website for more information.