A helping nature ensures a happy and successful life. The more children help others, the better they do, in life. They are respected for their efforts and they build a strong character for themselves. Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that we are all called to pay special attention to the needs of poor people. We can follow Jesus’ example by making a specific effort to defend and promote the dignity of those who are poor or vulnerable and to meet their immediate material needs.
Thus, at our Lady of Guadalupe, our Third Grade Class conducts their Service Stewardship Project supporting WestSide Baby, a local organization dedicated to meet the basic needs of children to promote safety, security and healthy development. They provide essential items to keep children safe, warm and dry by collecting and distributing diapers, clothing, and equipment throughout Western King County. They receive donations from the community, check and sort those donations, and distribute them directly to 100+ partner agencies, who are experts in areas of early learning, parental support and healthcare and who work authentically, and directly with families and children. Some examples of partner agencies they work with are: Public Health – Seattle & King County, Seattle Children’s Hospital, El Centro de La Raza, Rainier Valley Food Bank, West Seattle Food Bank, Low Income Housing Institute, Neighborhood House, and Southwest Youth and Family Services, and many more.
Students get together and organize and promote diaper and other baby items’ drives, sort donations, and take a field trip to visit the WestSide Baby facility. This way, they continue to learn that they have a sense of connection and interdependence with other human beings. Learning that they are interrelated to each other in the community helps form a sense of responsibility to other people, especially those that are vulnerable and in need, as well as caring beyond one’s family. This spirit of solidarity unites all people whether they are rich or poor, weak or strong. It also helps to create a society that recognizes that we live in an interdependent world.
