Lauren Stenger ’22, finds a creative way to volunteer from home.
This summer 25 students were accepted in the CSGC grants program. These grants are funded due to the generous support of the Cost, Earle/Mendillo and Workman families, who established endowment funds to support the community and public service endeavors of future generations of Deerfield students. For more information on these grants please visit: https://deerfield.edu/csgc/grants.
With California’s new shelter-in-place order, I sit at home I scroll through the news, and every article buzzes of the devastating destruction of COVID-19 in America. I read that around 40 million Americans are now unemployed, a number that frightens me. Although I can not cure the Coronavirus or reverse all of the economic damages, I know there is more I can do than reading the news. I could use my free time to help out families that are struggling, so I search the Internet for ways to help.
When I hear of a non profit’s goal to raise 10 million meals for Americans in desperate need, I know this is a challenge I want to participate in. Additionally, when I learn that one dollar pays for one meal, I grow more eager to use the time on my hands to do good. Due to California’s state lockdown, I can not go out and serve communities, but that doesn’t mean I can not serve. It just means that I must get creative and explore an alternative form of service, serving virtually.
With the help of the CSGC and the Workman family, my sister and I designed hoodies to sell. The grant covered the cost of production, so we were able to donate 100% of the proceeds to the Ten Million Meal Challenge. We named the hoodie “Alone Together” to encourage others to stay home, and to remind people that they are not alone during these hard times. Many customers told me that they loved the “Alone Together” project because they felt empowered through their purchase, and by buying a hoodie they knew that 40 meals were given to people in need. In the end, Kate and I were able to donate $1,575, the equivalence of 1,575 meals! Many thanks to the CSGC and the Workman family for their gracious support throughout this project!
