During the season of giving, Walpole High School’s Community Service Club gave back to the community in the form of a food drive. The goal was to collect a vast number of non-perishable items for donation to the Greater Boston Food Bank. To prolong the success of this initiative, club members decided to extend the food drive—which began in early November—to Dec. 13. Some of the key organizers were senior presidents Angelina Zagami and Karma Sampson who attached an incentive to the project by creating a competition between homerooms. Science teachers Susan Wick and Samantha Fallon were also integral in overseeing the project.

“I chose to help with the food drive because I realized that there are many people in our society who are not as fortunate as myself, and I felt that it would be a great way to give back,” junior and club member Cecilia Doherty said. “I know this is true for other members of the club who are eager to participate in something bigger than themselves.”

In light of the holiday season, members of Community Service Club felt that it was crucial to provide aid to local community members who cannot afford sufficient meals on the daily, which renders the holidays especially
challenging. The Greater Boston Food Bank collects donations from places that collect at least 500 pounds of non-perishable food items and, once WHS reached this amount, the Walpole Food Pantry handled the transfer of donations to the Greater Boston Food Bank.

“I know that for everyone in the club, it is a humbling feeling to know that our efforts to engage our community will in turn help those less fortunate in the Boston area,” Doherty said.

The Food Drive was only one of many initiatives that the Community Service Club has recently undertaken for humanity’s betterment. One day in December, Community Service Club members were spotted wearing placards around their necks marking their solidarity with the Day of Silence.

“We created the Community Service Club after the trip to Tanzania, and we really wanted to make an impact locally, as well as internationally,” Sampson said. “Our main goal was to do something that could get
the whole community involved in.”

The Day of Silence was intended to spread awareness about children throughout the world who do not have access to education. Club members have also been coordinating with local soup kitchens in hopes of organizing times during which elementary and middle school students could engage in volunteer work at these kitchens. In alignment with their holiday spirit, the club spent time wrapping other people’s unwrapped gifts in exchange for a donation to a women’s shelter.

“[Sampson] and I are the presidents of the Community Service Club, so we are constantly trying to find ways to give back to our community locally, nationally and internationally. The two of us purely started this club and participate for the enjoyment of helping other people,” Zagami said. “We are all so fortunate to have everything we do, so the best thing we can do is help people who aren’t as lucky.”