Today was the service day for our Intensive Learning at Moorestown First Baptist Church Food Pantry. At 8:30 in the morning, we had a brief meeting at the field house discussing our plan for the day with Mrs. Barna and Mrs. Pande. Our plan was to bake cookies and brownies and attach appreciative notes to each packet of goodies we baked.
All students were divided into groups of three, and each group was given a packet of dough and some M&Ms. We each wore gloves and sprayed a baking sheet with oil to prevent the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet. We first kneaded a number of balls of dough, then placed them on the baking sheet and flattened them. We also used a disposable plastic knife to cut a small portion of the dough into different shapes. The cookies were then decorated with powdered sugar and chocolate chips. The cookies were then sent to the faculty room for baking in two batches.
The cookies were then put into beautiful packages one-by-one and tied with different cards with words of encouragement and kindness written on them. Then we walked to deliver these cookies to the food pantry of the First Baptist church.
After arriving at the First Baptist Church, Ms. Norma Wright, the coordinator in charge of the food drive program, greeted us. After introducing us and explaining how the food drive worked, Ms. Wright introduced us to the guests who were there to get food and other items. We gave them the cookies and had great deep conversations with the guests in the church. It was an eye-opening experience for us. The rest of the baked goods were stored in a fridge to be given out by staff to the guests who arrive in the evening.
A few of the students went to the storage room/pantry where many items like canned beans, soups, spaghetti sauces, pasta etc. were stacked. There were also a lot of items, from soft drinks to cleaning supplies for any guests who arrive at the church and are in need of these items. We were asked to help with some small tasks: cleaning the floor, separating a big bag of rice into smaller packets, sorting diapers, and packaging dryer sheets.
We had a rich experience helping at the First Baptist Church. Everyone was tired but happy that they contributed today in some good way. Ms. Wright with other staff members thanked us and waved as good-bye as we exited the church.
