Every Tuesday there is a special little event that can help earn SSL & General Hours, plus help a child in need.

Every Tuesday during the first 15 minutes of lunch, a few students meet up in front of the PTA room next to the auditorium to help pack lunches for low income kids at Greencastle Elementary School. All the food that is packed in the bags are donated from Manna Food Bank.

This event that happens each Tuesday is called Smart Sacks, it was created by former Paint Branch Student, Laura Vandemark. And even though Laura has graduated, her program lives on and her family is still very much a part of it. Laura’s father, Mr. Vandemark, still delivers the food that Manna donates.

On Tuesday September 29th, 2015, it was no different except for one major thing- the bins were missing. At the beginning of lunch, Ms. Kimmel, one of the guidance counselors, opened the PTA office and noticed that a few tables and the bins that are used to store the lunches were missing. It wasn’t until Meghan Fickett- a senior who is currently in charge of the packing- appeared and revealed that the bins were still at Greencastle and that a student was picking them up. Even with the missing tables and bins, the packing went on as usual. A few students, usually eight or so, came to help out. Two assembly lines were made around the make-do tables to pack sixty lunches. This week, the food that was packed included: two bags of oatmeal, one bag of beans, two fruit cups, and one granola bar, also there was a little surprise this week- Manna had supplied little fliers that had a joke (Q: What do you call a peanut in a spacesuit? A: An astronut!), a recipe for fruit and cheese kabobs, and a “guess what food I am”. The joke is a bit corny, but it can bring a smile to a child’s face.

According to Meghan Fickett, “It only takes 15 minutes every week to help out a child and it’s very rewarding and it’s really fun, easy.” Anyone can volunteer, a person can get half an hour for either SSL Hours or NHS General Hours. The more people that help out equals the less time it takes to pack sixty lunches. Fickett adds, “It’s really easy to make a difference in the community” and really that’s the truth, by the end you’ll feel glad you helped out in some kind of way.