Staff and students from two Alexandria City public schools volunteered their time on Monday to give back to their communities in honor of Martin Luther King Day.
Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy delivered Meals on Wheels to Alexandria’s house-bound elderly, while Douglas MacArthur Elementary School students took part in a food drive, delivering two full carloads to the Carpenter’s Shelter by the end of the morning.
Lyles-Crouch guidance counselor Vanesa Holderness said that while the Meals on Wheels Service usually operates on weekdays, they count on volunteers to deliver meals on official holidays.
More than 36 students and 25 parents turned out to help deliver more than 80 meals city-wide.
“It was an honor to participate in something like this with our students. I had a great time and the kids did an exceptional job today,” said Holderness.
At MacArthur, 50 students and their family members greeted members of the MacArthur community as they pulled up to the curb outside the school on Janney’s Lane to drop off food and toiletry donations. Later that day a small group of students helped transport the donations in two carloads filled to the brim to the Carpenter’s Shelter.
“The efforts were really appreciated by staff at the shelter,” said MacArthur PTA chair Sharri Ralis.
