There’s a rhythm to a service-learning day that you start to feel by the time you’re a few days into the trip, and today, our students hit it from the very first stop. Two completely different communities, two completely different needs, and our Student Service Program seniors showed up ready for both.
Ninos de Nueva Esperanza
We left around 7:00 a.m. to serve at Niños de Nueva Esperanza, a community center for children ages 3-12. Today was their last day of camp. We helped set up and manage a bounce house obstacle course that the kids absolutely loved. We were also able to learn some new dance moves along the way. It was a very fun, and a lot of us found this to be one of our favorite service projects. We would love to go back!
Banco de Alimentos
After lunch we headed to Banco de Alimentos – Puerto Rico, a Feeding America food bank. There, we helped to pack 140 boxes, each containing servings of oatmeal, cereal, mac and cheese, rice, canned vegetables, tuna, chicken, peanut butter, juice, mashed potatoes, crackers, and milk.
Tying It Together
What stands out about today isn’t just the bounce houses or the boxes: It’s the range. Our students went from dancing with three-year-olds to assembly-line food packing for families they’ll never meet, and they brought the same energy to both. That’s the kind of flexibility servant leadership actually requires: Showing up fully for whoever is in front of you, whether that’s a room full of laughing kids or a warehouse full of work that needs doing.
140 boxes means 140 households with a little more food on the table this week. One bounce house obstacle course meant a camp full of kids got to end their week with a memory, instead of just a routine. Different scale, same heart, and that’s exactly the kind of day that turns a student into a servant leader for life.
Student Authors
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San Juan Service-Learning Trip: Day 1 Recap
San Juan Service-Learning Trip: Day 3 Recap
