At FCS, something that is felt strongly by our students is that our commitment to community extends past the boundary of our campus. Whether it’s supporting local animal shelters, helping clean up a community trail, or volunteering at a food bank, FCS students strive and often initiate efforts to support our immediate and broader communities. Recently, 5th graders learned about the mission and work of So What Else Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to hunger relief and youth programming in the DC/Baltimore area. The 5th graders visited So What Else’s Food Rescue Bank in Montgomery County to meet with some of the organizers and volunteers, learn about their cause, and help out with operations themselves. 

Leading up to the trip, the 5th graders researched the organization's work and engaged in discussions about nonprofits and other community assistance programs. In their Language Arts immigration unit, the students discussed how members of immigrant communities are highly likely to benefit from but also volunteer at these organizations. In Spanish class, they also did some work ahead of time learning vocabulary terms relating to food items and useful phrases that might help them ask and understand questions, requests, and pleasantries. 

During the visit, the organizers first explained what a Food Rescue Bank is and how they help rescue food that would otherwise be thrown out by grocery stores, restaurants, and other food providers that are subject to strict food shelf-life policies. While these regulations ensure we receive fresh products from stores and restaurants, it also means that much of the food they have to get rid of is still in good condition and perfectly edible. This is where it gets “rescued” by So What Else and redirected to their food bank to assist the community.

During the rest of the trip, the 5th and 6th graders were split into four rotating groups: 

The students shared that their favorite two stations were packaging food and sorting clothing, where they clearly felt a part of the impactful operations happening at So What Else.