SOUTH FLORIDA – JCS students took part in the Local Outreach R.E.A.C.H. group this past week.
Local Outreach was a community service trip in Palm Beach County led by Mrs. Bloomfield. This trip was fun and was also very helpful for the community. We did two days of gleaning, one day at House of Hope, and one afternoon at Feeding South Florida. We finished off this journey with a fun day at Universal.
During Local Outreach, we did two days of gleaning the fields. Our first day, February 24, we went tomato picking. We picked many tomatoes, the requirements being they must be near perfect (no mush, holes, or bright green). We filled so many baskets that they ran out of baskets for us to fill! Our next gleaning project was corn picking on February 28. Here we were buddied up with elementary students from another school to help them pick some corn. It was fun watching and helping them pick this corn and help the community. This day we put in around three full hours of work and filled many large crates up with corn. Adilee Rodriguez said, “When you know in your heart what it says in the Bible, to treat others the way you want to be treated, serving feels right and fulfilling our duties in Christ.” While this work was tiring, it was worth every effort in order to serve the Lord and local community.
Our next two days of Local Outreach were at House of Hope and Feeding South Florida. At House of Hope, we split off into two groups. In my group, we cleaned out their garden of fallen leaves and branches. That way they can plant more plants and trees. We also packed boxes full of packaged and canned food. These boxes will go out to homeless people who are in need of food. At Feeding South Florida, we packaged many, many boxes of all different types of food. These were all donated by the community to be sent out for people in need of food. Feeding South Florida was a very fast paced, organized system, which allowed us to produce products of large quantities. Katelynn Geist said, “My favorite part was packing food boxes for people who are less fortunate because I was able to make a difference in our community.” These small actions make large impacts in our community.
On our final day of Local Outreach, we wrapped up our trip with a day at Universal. We started our day bright and early. Once we arrived, we buddied up and began our journey. My group and I went on all of the best rides: Velocicoaster, The Hulk, Rip Ride Rocket, and many more. We made a few drink and snack stops along the way. We also watched fun street shows and met a few characters. Universal was a great way to celebrate our accomplishments from the week.
Overall, the R.E.A.C.H. Week trip, Local Outreach, was a success. We completed two full days of gleaning, one day at House of Hope, an afternoon at Feeding South Florida, and a great day at Universal. While on this trip, we learned the importance of serving the community and how small actions can have long lasting impacts. We are very grateful to be given this opportunity to make a difference in our community.
