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St. Mary's Outreach

Each grade level at St. Mary's supports a cause every year, raising both money and awareness. These community service projects help our students connect and contribute to the world around them. They are proud to participate in work that has a real impact.

Pre-K
The outreach program for Pre-K is Metropolitan Ministries. Students bring in food all year to support the efforts of this ministry to provide food for those in need. Mrs. Meyer and her daughter Maggie, representatives of Metropolitan Ministries, visit Pre-K and show us how to build a Box of Hope containing all the food a family might need to have a special Thanksgiving. Although November is a special time of year to collect food, the students also bring in toys and food for Christmas, and food all during the school year to help. For Halloween, all our students take home UNICEF boxes to collect money when they go trick or treating.

Kindergarten
Kindergarten works with Metropolitan Ministries. Students can choose to donate a gift on their birthday that they open in front of the class and then give as a special gift to the children at Metropolitan Ministries. During the holidays our students also send in canned goods and food supplies to help make boxes of Hope. This is a wonderful program to teach our children about sharing and giving to others.

First Grade
First grade has a busy year working on our outreach program for the children at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital.  In October, the children each donate Halloween toys and school supplies to the children at the hospital to enjoy on Halloween night.  For the Thanksgiving and Easter holidays each first grader makes a card for the children at the hospital.  For Christmas, the first grade collects crayons and coloring and/or activity books that the nurses can distribute over the winter holidays.  The first graders love being able to bring a smile to the children that have to be in the hospital during a special time of the year!

Third Grade
In third grade, our outreach is Kids and Canines.  Kids and Canines supports disabled individuals by providing assistant dogs.  The dogs are trained to help with everyday activities, including grocery shopping and retrieving items from hard to reach places.  Throughout the year, students dedicate time, money, and donations to help with this cause.  In the spring, students visit the "school" to get a better understanding of how the dogs are trained and used in our society. 

Fourth Grade
St. Mary’s fourth grade supports Bakas Equestrian Center.  A highly successful program since 1987, Bakas provides equestrian based therapeutic activities that enhance the lives of physically impaired and developmentally delayed children and adults.  Our fourth graders raise money for Bakas by hosting two bake sales in the early Fall.  They also collect much needed supplies that are delivered upon arrival at the facility during out annual field trip.  During the field trip our children learn about the program and help out by grooming horses, cleaning stalls, and sometimes even assisting with lessons.

Fifth Grade
5th Grade Outreach program is working with underprivileged children from a program called Cornerstone.  Cornerstone is an after school program for children in North Tampa who have no where to go after school.  These children have very little in their lives and Cornerstone gives them a secure, loving place to go after school.  5th Grade provide children in this program with a holiday gift, something chosen from the child's wish list, something sometimes as simply as a football.  5th graders draw a child's name, pay the present, and wrap it, ready for the child to open at Cornerstone's Holiday party.  Last year we interacted with the children, sending letters to their new buddies, and telling the child a little about themselves.  Our outreach program makes the Holiday season shine a little brighter.

Sixth Grade
The sixth grade's community outreach project is the annual December Angel Tree Party. Students are working with St. Mary’s Episcopal Church to provide a nice Christmas party with presents for children who have a parent incarcerated. The sixth graders assist with filling out the Angel Tree cards with information about each child, recruiting donors, publicizing the event, setting up for the party, and hosting at the event. All St. Mary’s families are invited to sponsor a child who will be a guest at the party. Sponsor sign-up for the 2011 Angel Tree begins on Nov. 7th. Gifts for the guests are needed by Dec. 2nd. The party is Saturday, Dec. 10th. The sixth graders learn gratitude and build leadership skills by helping with the Angel Tree project.

Seventh Grade
The 7th graders serve hot meals to homebound seniors in south Tampa through the Meals on Wheels program. Twice each week, a parent volunteer drives a pair of students on one of many well established routes to deliver lunches. For some seniors, this is a major contact with the outside world. For others, this is their main meal of the day. Most 7th graders are able to deliver food twice during the year. St. Mary's has been a partner with Meals on Wheels for 17 years. In 2011 St. Mary's received the "Adopt a Route Partner of the Year Award" for many years of service to the Meals on Wheels organization. 7th Grade is also responsible for outreach to the men and women in uniform serving our country overseas, through the Cell Phones for Soldiers, and Packages from Home programs.  

In addition to helping with the parent sponsored Meals on Wheels project, the seventh grade Human Geography classes sponsor a Pennies for Papoli drive. The drive is coordinated through Village Partners International, a non-profit organization that partners with local leaders in Uganda and Haiti to improve the health of their citizens. The purpose of the drive is to raise awareness of the work in Papoli and money to help meet the needs. The funds will purchase food and medicine for the children in Papoli, Uganda. Many of the children in Papoli are orphaned because their parents have died of AIDS.  Seventh graders will use a variety of skills to plan and execute the drive, which coincides with African case studies in Human Geography class. The students created a video about their drive when it was initiated, to encourage other groups to have a Pennies for Papoli Drive.  To see the video, go to the Village Partners International website www.villagepartnersinternational.org

Eighth Grade
St. Mary’s offers eighth grade students a unique community service opportunity by working with Faith Café, a non-profit ecumenical ministry which feeds the homeless and those in need.  Three students are picked up each Tuesday and Thursday by a parent volunteer to serve.  While at Faith Café, the students set the tables, greet customers, serve the food to seated customers, clear the tables and clean up the dining hall.  This project provides an opportunity for the students to see the needs in our community and serve those in need with dignity, love and respect.


St. Mary's Episcopal Day School
2101 South Hubert Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33629
(813) 258-5508
Fax: (813) 258-5603