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Health & Fitness

Students Give Back over Thanksgiving Break

Two Flint Hill sophomores worked at the Capital Area Food Bank during Thanksgiving Break.

by sophomore Shanzeh Ahmed

Thanksgiving time rolls around, the aroma of turkey and mashed potatoes are filling up the kitchen, everyone is laughing and having a good time, but what about those who don’t have the same opportunities?

This year, on November 21, sophomores Kristin Glinton and William Ciesar took part in giving back to the community during Thanksgiving by working at a local food bank located in Washington, DC. Over the course of the day, more than 5,000 pounds of food were packed and sorted for those in need of a delicious Thanksgiving feast.  

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to volunteer, reach out and help the homeless and hungry. The Washington, DC area has many charitable organizations that provide students with a chance to do something that can benefit not only themselves but also their community. Glinton and Ciesar were able to prepare, pack and cleanup holiday meals for the poor at the Capital Area Food Bank.  

The mission of the charitable organization is to feed the hungry in the Washington metro area. They do this by acquiring food and distributing it through its network of partner agencies. It also helps educate, empower and enlighten the community about the issues of hunger and nutrition.

When asked how she felt about the whole experience and what she thinks about what the Capital Area Food Bank does for others, Glinton said it "definitely made me think about how I should be thankful because I have a home and food and it made me realize how privileged I really I am to have all of these things. I think that what this food bank is doing is wonderful, being able to supply the homeless and the hungry is one of the best things.”

Ciesar also had only positive things to say about his experience.

“ I find that all service activities are a great way to give back to our community. Being able to give 5,000 pounds of food to the hungry made me feel like I really accomplished something that was important to my community and I felt great after it.”   

Along with being able to give back to the people, Glinton and Ciesar were also able to work with the whole Washington Capitals team. The hockey players along with some of their cheerleaders all came and gave a helping hand at the Food Bank.

“It was nice being able to work with the Capitals and the next day Obama even came, which would have been amazing if we met him,” Glinton said.

Will added: “All of the cheerleaders and the team were there helping packing the boxes and I thought it was really cool that even people as wealthy as they are came. It shows how much they really care about their community.”

This opportunity also provided the two with many service hours. Every year, Flint Hill requires each student to complete at least 15 hours of community service to help the student’s realize that there are many in need of even the simplest things.  

“We were able to complete about eight hours of community service in just this one area. It really helped us get going on our community service,”  Glinton and Ciesar said.

“ I will definitely be working more with different community service opportunities and this whole experience made me really thankful for the things I have," Ciesar said.

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Ahmed is a journalism student at The Flint Hill School. The program regularly submits stories on local issues by its students. You can read all of them by following this link.  

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