St. Christopher School assists city Meals on Wheels program

NASHUA – For the second year in a row, St. Christopher School has committed to a yearlong, school-wide service project benefiting the local Meals on Wheels program. At the center of the program are class projects of handmade cards, letters and crafts, which will be delivered to Meals on Wheels clients on a monthly basis.

Meals on Wheels delivers meals to homebound elderly residents of the city through a program of volunteer drivers. For some of the Meals on Wheels clientele, the volunteer driver may be the only personal interaction they receive all day.

Each St. Christopher grade has adopted a route of Meals on Wheels clientele and will provide a special handmade item to accompany a meal at least once a month. In addition, classes will be sending a letter each month to their adopted route, telling the seniors about the children’s school activities and other items of interest.

In addition, the Meals on Wheels clientele will receive a voluntary questionnaire to tell their classes about their lives and interests.

“We’re hoping to make the interaction between the students and seniors very personal this year,” said Donna Noon, co-coordinator of the St. Christopher program. “We know how much the seniors enjoy hearing from and about the children – and how much the students love to hear about the lives of the seniors.”

St. Christopher School kicked of its yearlong project with a visit from Maria Boren, assistant program manager for St. Joseph Community Services. Boren met with students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade and explained the Meals on Wheels program. As part of her presentation, she showed students how a typical meal is assembled, as well as explaining how the students’ projects would brighten the day of the homebound.

At the end of the presentation, the first-grade students presented Boren with their first gifts for their adopted friends: fall-themed bookmarks.

“The kids had a great time making the bookmarks,” said first-grade teacher Marilyn Moore. “But having a better idea of where and who they were going to made the project extra-special. They’re already looking forward to next month’s project!”