By Jennifer Tangeman
Students at All Saints Catholic School learned first-hand the realities of homelessness in Logansport this week.
As part of the annual Catholic Schools Week, students in each class helped prepare meals everyday to serve at Emmaus Mission Center. Some of the older students also had the opportunity to serve the meals.
“It is a week of celebrating the blessing that our school is to our community,” principal James McNeany said. “It is not just a week of fun, it is also celebrating the service elements we try to instill in our students.”
McNeany said this was the first year the school prepared meals for Emmaus as a community service project, although the school regularly takes donations of food to the shelter.
“They made a powerful connection,” the principal said. “We collect food for Emmaus but a lot of the kids didn’t realize they actually stayed here in Logansport.”
Bailie Long, a sixth-grader, was one of those students.
“I didn’t know people were living on the second floor of Emmaus,” Long said. “I expected a small room with a bunch of people in it. It made me respect my family more and the things that I have.”
Long, along with classmates Emma Bowen, Eliot Champion-Zepp and Joelle Hurst, served a meal to the residents Tuesday.
Bowen said before she went Tuesday she did not know what to expect of the center. The four students had never been before.
“I didn’t realize they were all homeless,” Bowen said. “It made me realize how fortunate I am.”
Champion-Zepp said he expected he’d see “a bunch of people that did not have nice clothes.” He said his experience upon arriving at the center is that the residents were very friendly and thankful.
Long agreed.
“One girl was laughing and talking with us and it made me feel good, like I was doing something good,” she said.
Long said the experience taught her that you do not necessarily have to be in a church to have faith.
“We had a little prayer service, and they all seemed like really God-centered people,” the sixth-grade student said.
First-grade teacher Patty Brown spear-headed the effort for the week with Emmaus. She said she used the opportunity to teach her students about discipleship.
“We talked about being disciples to help people in need,” Brown said.
Brown’s class prepared a meal of sloppy Joe sandwiches, trifles, pudding and fruit. Her students said the project was fun and they felt good helping others.
“It was for people that don’t have enough money for food and a home,” one student said.
McNeany said each class took part in creating at least a portion of a meal. Parents from the school also helped by donating food items or supplies.
“I have definitely gotten a good response from the students,” he said. “This is something they could all really feel they took part in.”
To further educate the school about local homelessness, Jason Mitchell, executive director of Emmaus Mission Center, visited the school Thursday to share information about the center and its population.
• Jennifer Tangeman is a reporter for the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or jennifer.tangeman@pharostribune.com.
