Crosslake Community School Helps Pack Meals to Feed the Community

On May 6 in Crosslake, and with guidance from The Outreach Program, thousands of meals for those in need were put together and packaged within one hour. And those meals were put together by students in second through eighth grade at Crosslake Community School.

“My third and fourth graders have done this service project in Nisswa at The Outreach Program site for about five years,” said Crosslake Community School teacher Mara Powers. “And third and fourth grade goes every single year, but we thought that we could bring it to our whole school community and just make a little bit more of an impact.”

And after seeing how well third and fourth graders could pack meals, Kathy Faust, Crosslake Community School’s Food Services Coordinator, had a plan that would involve the whole school. To embark on the project, they got the help of a backer, The LAKE Foundation.

“They are the ones that built our building, and they helped fund the packing for today,” explained Faust. “And we just are happy to have them here and we’re happy to be able to do a community service project and to help feed anybody who’s in need.”

The classes can usually package about 6,000 meals. But Powers says students were ready to break that goal.

“My class predicted today that we would pack about 14,000, although I did find out that we – they only brought enough materials for about [10,000],” stated Powers. “So I think between 10 and 11 [thousand] is our predicted goal for today and I’m sure we’ll need it. Those kids are working.”

To keep spirits high and to have the work flow smoothly for students, organizers got some music playing at the event.

“I think the music just kind of sets the stage for kind of fun, and like you said, relax and you’re just having a good time, and it just also makes them work faster, I think,” added Faust.

Powers says an event like this is impactful to the kids, and because of their hard work, it’s important to make note of where the food is actually going.

“This isn’t going to other countries,” she explained. “This isn’t going to big, giant cities. This isn’t going far away to somewhere where [it’s] a little bit more abstract to them. It’s staying right in our county area.”

Crosslake Community School students packed a total of 10,300 meals. For those who would like a meal or know someone in need, you can pick them up at one of three different locations: Crosslake Food Shelf, Emily Food Shelf, or the Crosby Food Shelf.