Service comes easily at Lighthouse

Elementary school donates toys, food to local food banks

Paige Richmond

of the Gateway

When Bailey Werner packed up a box full of mittens, scarves and toys for her school’s toy drive, she was putting herself in another person’s shoes.

“I was thinking of all the children — if they didn’t have presents, how they would feel,” Werner said. “I’d feel sad if I had no presents.”

That kind of thinking is exactly what the teachers and staff at Lighthouse Christian School — where Werner is a third-grader — are trying to encourage.

The school’s annual food and toy drive, which benefits the Key Peninsula Community Services Food Bank and the Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank, is part of the school’s Unity Project, a community service collaboration between second-, third- and seventh-graders.

At the beginning of each school year, students begin collecting clothing, toys and Christmas wrapping paper that FISH later distributes to eligible families that otherwise could not afford to give Christmas gifts.

This year, FISH will supply more than 400 children with presents.

The teachers hope that, by working together with their fellow students, the children at Lighthouse will learn the importance of helping people in their community.

“They know the experience they get from opening presents,” said seventh-grade teacher Stephen Roddy. “So, they want to share that with others.”

This year, that sharing has expanded to both FISH and the KPCS Food Bank in Lakebay. Lighthouse first held the drive in 2007, with FISH as the sole recipient. Principal Tim Hoy promised students last year that if they filled 4 1/2 boxes with food for FISH, all the teachers would dress as angels and sing for them.

The students succeeded — and that success motivated Hoy to hold the drive against this year.

But as students from all grade levels started to bring in both food and toys for FISH, Hoy learned that FISH was well over demand for food donations this year and wouldn’t have space to store more.

Instead, three Safeway shopping carts overflowing with boxes of brown sugar, canned vegetables, boxes of macaroni and cheese and other non-perishable items will be donated to the KPCS food bank. The only food bank on the Key Peninsula has seen a higher-than-anticipated increase in demand over the past few months, so the donations were much-needed for the holiday season.

The toys were presented to FISH and the food to KPCS at a schoolwide assembly at Lighthouse’s Navigator Hall last week.

“We appreciate what you’ve done,” KPCS’ Kyong Bertsch said as she accepted the donations on the food bank’s behalf last Wednesday. “Each and every student and family that came together has thought of us.”

Much like Werner, giving to others came easily for Lighthouse students. Matthew Lee, a fourth-grader, brought in clam chowder, because he knew “people needed food.” Grant Ogard, a fourth-grader, brought in a “big bag of paper towels,” because it was the right thing to do.

“I’m a Christian,” said Ogard, 9. “And I think that helping a neighbor is helping God.”

The spirit of helping others has caught on in the Gig Harbor community. At last Wednesday’s assembly, Hoy announced that Artondale Elementary School has “challenged” Lighthouse to another drive, during which the schools will compete to see which one can donate the most.

Lighthouse Christian School

Lighthouse Christian School, located at 3008 36th St. NW in Gig Harbor, was established in 1994. Currently, the school serves kindergarten through eighth grade. About 325 students attend the school.

In this year’s food and toy drive, Lighthouse’s elementary students donated three shopping carts of food to Key Peninsula Community Services Food Bank and six boxes of toys to the Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank.

Reach reporter and columnist Paige Richmond at 253-853-9243 or by e-mail at paige.richmond@gateline.com.