Photo Courtesy: Kelli Gile
Chaparral students made improvements at a community garden through a Disney Friends for Change grant.

By Kelli Gile

Walnut – Chaparral Middle School’s HUMANitarian Club is dedicated to serving.  For the past nine years, members have reached out to area homeless through local shelter programs.

On Global Youth Service Day, the 30 students continued their good deeds by making lunches for a shelter in San Gabriel.  The project was funded through a $400 Sodexo Youth Grant written by 6^th Grader, Srijani Krishnan.

“It’s great that everyone is here to help the homeless,” she said to club members. “All the food will go to the St. Vianney Food Pantry today.”

Over 30 members met after school on Apr. 17 to make sack lunches with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit snacks, candy bars, and bottles of water. Volunteers from the United Cougars assisted with the project.

“It’s awesome that you’re taking your time to make this happen for 144 folks,” said Principal Ron Thibodeaux.

A hunger awareness video was also created to share with classmates.

“It makes you feel good and its fun, too,” said 7^th Grader Darren Lo.

Club members also volunteered at the San Gabriel Valley Winter Shelter and sung Christmas carols at a retirement home in Walnut last winter.

President Sydney Robinson was awarded a $500 grant from the “Disney’s Friends for Change” program to make improvements at the Center Street Community Garden in Pomona.

Other HUMANitarian volunteers and their families joined the service project on Apr. 18.

“They harvested food, painted a structure to hold garden announcements, and wrote inspirational messages on rocks to beautify the garden,” said advisor Sherry Robertson.

The members helped paint and shovel mulch at the garden earlier in the month.

“The kids worked so hard!” Robertson said. “It was a cool experience, and we’re eager to go again!”

A police report stated that crime decreased by 50% with the addition of the new garden.

“It’s pretty impactful,” she said.