Volunteer center
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Santa Fe Action Team: Putting Food Projects First

Help the hungry and homeless in your community with ideas from a new Southwest Action Team

St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe is the first school in New Mexico to join the Action Team. The Santa Fe Action Team launched in September 2008 as one of three new Action Teams in locations without Major League baseball teams. (Others are Maui, Hawaii, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.)

Every high school in the country is now eligible to join the Action Team. That means your school too. Public or private; urban, suburban, or rural – every high school can sign up now to launch an Action Team beginning in September 2009. Get an Action Team Application here.

A community can have any number of high schools with an Action Team. High schools in Santa Fe have a great example to follow in the volunteer efforts of St. Michael’s Action Team Captains.

School Athletes and Service Leaders

St. Michael’s High School is a private LaSallian Catholic school with 800 students in grades 7-12. Community service is an important component of education at St. Michael’s. The Action Team is adding to an already thriving service program.

HELPING THE HUNGRY

Santa Fe Action Team Captains and volunteers prepare a meal once a month for residents of the St. Elizabeth’s homeless shelter.

Each school decides how to set up the Action Team program and how to select Action Team Captains. The Action Team is not required to be sports focused but can be if that’s the school choice. St. Michael’s teacher advisors Thomas Ludzia and Kendra Bartig organized the Action Team to involve more athletes as service leaders. The eight Action Team Captains – four males and four females – are all members of athletic teams, including baseball, volleyball, basketball, soccer, football, wrestling and golf. Each student was selected as an Action Team Captain based on leadership on and off the field and service in the community. The students were trained to strengthen their leadership skills using free online materials available to all Action Teams.

Focus on Helping the Hungry

Each Action Team commits to a minimum of two service projects during the school year. Needs within the Santa Fe community compelled the St. Michael’s Action Team Captains to make helping the hungry and homeless the goal of their projects this year. Adapt their ideas to make a difference for people in your community.

PROJECT #1: MONTHLY MEALS AT A HOMELESS SHELTER Action Team Captains take turns recruiting student volunteers to prepare and serve a meal one night each month at St. Elizabeth’s, a local homeless shelter that welcomes both individuals and families with children. Students take charge of all aspects of the meal for an average of about 30 people each time.

Prep and Serve Tips

Here’s how Action Team Captains organize the meal each month. Although St. Michael’s will reimburse for food costs, to date students and their families have chosen to donate the food they prepare.

• Sign up student volunteers: About 15-20 students are needed each month.
• Plan a menu with choices: The goal is to give the shelter residents options and ensure there are healthful choices. Here’s the menu that was offered by the Action Team in March.
  • Fresh Baked Bread
  • Steamed Vegetables
  • Vegetarian Salad
  • Fruit Salad
  • Rotisserie Chicken
  • Fried Chicken
  • Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
  • Lasagna
  • Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Pistachio Pudding
• Organize and assign roles: Student volunteers prep food in advance, finish preparing in the shelter kitchen, serve the food and interact with the guests, and clean up.
• Prep the day before: The prep is done at the home(s) of students. The goal is to do as much as possible to save time without affecting food quality.
• Finish cooking in the shelter kitchen: Baking, steaming, boiling and tossing are done in the shelter kitchen to complete the meal. Fresh-from-the-oven bread and cookies can be treats that warm taste buds and spirits.
• Serve and circulate: Along with serving the food to residents, students offer friendly conversation.
• Offer music and more: Action Team Captains recruit St. Michael’s students to play guitar and other instruments as musical entertainment during the meal. Students bring toys and books to share.
• Clean up: Students clear and clean up in the dining area and the kitchen when all residents have had their full.

“In preparing the meal, all students involved feel united,” says Santa Fe Action Team Captain Charlie Lucero, which creates a sense of camaraderie among students and the community. “Each resident of the St. Elizabeth’s shelter has a story that needs to be told,” he adds, and with each story shared students become more aware of the struggles in their community.

Action Team Captain Jessica Madrid offers a powerful expression of her experiences through this project in “Come What May,” a poem written for her Humanities class. Also meet Action Team Captain Elizabeth Othmer, who plans to continue volunteering at the St. Elizabeth’s shelter this summer.

PROJECT #2: HOME RUN DERBY Santa Fe Action Team Captains are organizing a “Home Run Derby” – a competitive take on a food drive – during St. Michael’s “Spring Fling” week of special activities near the end of April.

Although the equipment for the Home Run Derby is a baseball bat and ball, the event is held on the school football field, so hits can be measured in yards. Each student gets three chances to hit the ball. Sponsors donate nonperishable food items based on the length of a hit – such as five items for a 50-yard hit.

Here’s the Action Team project in the planning stage, with the goal of making a grand-slam contribution to Santa Fe food pantries.

• Open to all students. Every St. Michael’s student may participate by donating nonperishable items to “buy out” of the regular classes during the derby.
• Target collection of items to meet specific needs. Action Team Captains are coordinating with local food pantries to get lists of needed food, personal hygiene, and baby items to share with students.
• Get local sponsors. Action Team Captains are coordinating with local stores to sponsor hitters.'
• Designate rewards. Students will earn special school privileges (such as wearing jeans one day instead of the school uniform) for participating and for being among the top hitters.

Watch for updates here in the Volunteer Center on Santa Fe’s Home Run Derby.

Working Together to Inspire

“Having a diverse group of kids working together is inspiring,” says Mr. Ludzia, Action Team advisor. “Leadership training gives Action Team Captains the tools to implement service projects. And they quickly realize the buck stops with them.”

Inspire others in your school. Help launch an Action Team. Download an Action Team Application now and get your school’s Action Team in place for September 2009!