Biddeford Middle School students help community in school-wide service day

Biddeford Middle School students kicked off Memorial Day weekend by helping others.

Students were bussed out Friday morning to various locations across the city to work on projects in a school-wide day of service.

About a dozen students visited the Biddeford Food Pantry at 162 Elm St., and they did not come empty-handed. Upon meeting Biddeford Food Pantry Manager Don Bisson, they presented him with a donation of food items.

“Thank you, that’s awesome,” said Bisson, and gave the students a hearty welcome.

He then explained how the pantry provided food for those in need. Last week, he told the students, the pantry served 147 families on Tuesday, 101 families on Wednesday, and 89 families on Thursday, which elicited many exclamations of “Wow!” from the students.

Then it was time to get down to business.

“Are you ready to do some volunteer work,” Bisson asked the students.

“Yes!” came the overwhelming response.

Fifth graders Ben Michael and Cam Hicks dragged floor mats outside and shook them out. After the mats were put back in place the boys were recruited to the storage room to help organize boxes of non-perishables.

 

Ben Michael, a fifth-grader at Biddeford Middle School, shakes out a floor mat outside the Biddeford Food Pantry. PHOTO BY LIZ GOTTHELF

And though they were hard at work, there were no complaints from the students.

“I like doing this. It helps the community,” said Cam.

Other students busied themselves with tasks including wiping down shelves and bagging dog food.

“This is so wonderful. It brings them together and brings a sense of community. It gives them some independence in the world outside their classroom,” said art teacher Rachel Carswell. “And they’re good kids. They want to help.”

Other sites students volunteered at included Clifford and Rotary parks, local cemeteries, Heart of Biddeford and My Place Teen Center.

 

Students from Biddeford Middle School arrive at St. Joseph's Cemetery to put flags on veterans' graves. PHOTO COURTESY OF RAOUL GOULET

Biddeford High School students participated in a school-wide day of service on May 17.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.