Putting almsgiving in the forefront at St. Andrew the Apostle

When middle-school parents and faculty at St. Andrew the Apostle School in Algiers found out the Community Center for Life in Gretna was in desperate need of diapers because a long-time supplier could no longer provide them, they sprang into action and organized a diaper drive during the month of March.

Between the generous donations from school families and parishioners, the middle-schoolers collected 4,640 diapers for the center in the drive, which was organized by middle-school teacher Tiffany Leashore.

Alison Guarisco, vice president of the parents’ club, said members discussed opportunities to help the community and “allow our students more chances for service during Lent.” The school’s administration and Father Michael Lamy, the St. Andrew pastor, gave the go-ahead.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) says the foundational call of Christians to charity and almsgiving is a frequent theme of the Gospels. During Lent, Catholics are asked to focus more intently on “almsgiving,” which means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity. As one of the three pillars of Lenten practice, almsgiving is “a witness to fraternal charity” and “a work of justice pleasing to God” (“Catechism of the Catholic Church,” no. 2462).

Diapers were collected at school and before and after Masses for the first three weeks of Lent. The drive culminated with the packing event at the end of March. 

“The middle-school students volunteered two hours of their time on Sunday to help us package nearly all the diapers,” Guarisco said. 

The diapers were delivered to the center by several parents. Seventeen sixth- and seventh-grade students collaborated on the project and received service hours.

“Earning service hours every quarter is required for both sixth- and seventh-graders as a part of their religion class at St. Andrew the Apostle,” Leashore said. “It’s important that students learn the importance of service to others, not only to their families, but also to reach out to those in need in our communities.”

Seventh-grade student Jace Rabalais said helping with packaging diapers made him think of how he was not just earning service hours but also helping the community.

“When I was doing it, it made me think of how many moms I would be helping,” Jace said. “It was a great opportunity to actually make a difference.”

Sixth-grader Brennan Guarisco said he thought of those moms who might not be able to afford diapers for their babies.

“It made me feel good to help out,” he said. “It made me want to make things easier for them by giving diapers to them.”

Briggs Ellis, another sixth-grade student, said he liked the entire experience of collecting the items to help others in need.

Alison Guarisco said the 

newly formed St. Andrew the Apostle Moms’ Club 

and PTA board strongly 

believe parents should be living examples of service for their children and community. They are contacting various groups regarding volunteer opportunities and services the students and parents can offer.

“As Christians, we are to be Christ-like and give of ourselves,” Leashore said. “We are to be living examples of Christ’s love to us as we serve each other, especially during this season of Lent.”