Keeping micropantries well stocked is just one of the ways fifth grader Suzette Gamboa and her classmates are helping to spread kindness.
But taking on two micropantries in South Holland earlier this year and one in Harvey more recently has also become a way of life for the Madison Elementary School students and one they enjoy.
“I like that I can help our community and spread kindness,” said Suzette, who lives in Harvey and is a member of the Kindness Club.
The Kindness Club had its birth in “15 Days of Kindness,” which Michelle Orth, a fifth grade teacher who is a finalist for a Golden Apple Award, started late last year.
Students made ornaments for the Police Department, goodie bags for firefighters and bookmarks for the South Holland Public Library. They also helped pack food for Feed My Starving Children in Aurora and placed upbeat sayings on teachers’ classroom doors.
Orth encourages her students to help with kindness initiatives and works with the club, though doesn’t sponsor it.
“We packed about 273 bags of rice for families in need,” said Suzette, proudly.
Matteo Betancourt, who also lives in Harvey, said students made paper ornaments for the two women who serve them lunch.
“I just liked that we did something kind for the lunch ladies, after all the times they did something for us,” said Matteo, who is in Orth’s class.
Kailee McCarthren, who lives in South Holland and is in Kim Davis’s fifth grade class, said she makes it a point to find food for the micropantries.
“Sometimes our pantry (at home) is overpacked, so I bring in some cans,” said Kailee. “I like helping people in need.”
Both Suzette and Matteo came up with the idea of adding a micropantry to St. John the Baptist church in Harvey after they realized area families could use it.
“I think it’s wonderful it’s the kids who are wanting to help their community,” said Orth. “Their families are the ones making the donations.
“It’s a wonderful blessing,” she said.
Orth said she was also glad when the students liked the idea of donating food after they saw a micropantry in the community.
“They were intrigued by the micropantry,” said Orth. “At first they thought the only people who visited the micropantry were homeless.
“We discussed how with the economy, it is just a challenge for a lot of households and sometimes families need a little extra and that’s why the micropantries are there,” said Orth.
Courtney Beemsterboer, a special education teacher who co-sponsors the club with fellow fifth grade teacher Kim Davis, said giving was also a way to help the students.
“We talk a lot about building up the girl’s self-esteem through empathy,” she said of their discussions. “They’ve wanted to do more and more and being 10- and 11-year-olds, having a level of empathy is wonderful.
“It means they’re being raised by very good parents,” she said.
Beemsterboer also said they decorated rocks with positive messages, including “Always keep going,” which they hope to put in front of the school in warmer weather, and made a paper quilt to hang on the wall with kind sayings. They also plan to have the students write messages in chalk on the sidewalks.
Davis said the atmosphere at the school was already a “help each other” one. But she was impressed at how the kindness activities had taken off.
“What surprised me was their reaction … they don’t expect anything in return,” said Davis. So after they went to pack food in Aurora, Davis recalled, they said, “Look at all these people we helped.”
Davis said she thought the donating food idea was a good one after she played a game of Bingo at a church and won a box of goodies from a company that offered them in kindness.
“I said, ‘We can do this ourselves,’” said Davis, noting some children took boxes with snacks and comforting items to the Cancer Support Center in Homewood.
To show students anyone can be in need, she tells them her own story of accepting food donations when she was unemployed.
“I’ve been on the receiving end of this,” said Davis. “It’s just nice to be on the donating end of it where I can turn that back and help other people.
All the generosity has thrilled Principal Jerald McNair.
“This is amazing,” said McNair. “There are so many things going on with our youths but schools can make an impact and this Kindness Club can do that,” he said. “If we can teach these values, it can impact our community, their families, the whole nation.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
