Community Service Programs
Eastern Point Day School | 8 Farrington Avenue | Gloucester MA 01930 | Phone: (978) 283-1700 | Fax: (978) 283-0422 | Email: info@easternpointdayschool.org
Eastern Point Day School
Inspire - Challenge - Educate
Community Service is an integral part of the Eastern Point Day School experience and volunteerism is encouraged within our students and community. Through service to others we instill a sense of empowerment to make a difference in the world around us. Students experience the importance and joy of giving to others in need and realize this effort as its own reward. There will be opportunities for individual, local and global community service throughout the school year.
Individual Student Community Service: Students are required to give two to four hours of their time, depending on their grade level, in volunteer service to a worthy cause. Preschool students work group projects. Sample projects have included: Town-wide cleanup, Locks of Love, Gloucester Pride Stride, and walking dogs at an animal shelter. Students are recognized and given an award certificate in June.
Open Door/Cape Ann Food Panty Scavenger Hunt: Our school community is participating in the Open Door/Cape Ann Food Pantry Scavenger Hunt. Each month the Food Pantry distributes over 30,000 pounds of food to families in need in the local area. In November students and parents search for food items in their own pantry, which are then collected and delivered to the Food Pantry. We also collect cans of soup on “Souper Bowl Sunday” for the Food Pantry.
TCB-Taking Care of Business: Taking Care of Business is a local shelter that supports families in recovery and transition. Gifts are collected for the families and delivered with a Christmas tree that is decorated at the shelter by our children. A full holiday dinner is also donated.
Pennies for Peace: Pennies for Peace, an international service-learning program, was inspired by Greg Mortenson’s quest to build schools for children in the remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and recounted in his #1 NY Times best-seller, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time. The positive impact of education can be seen on both sides of the “Pennies for Peace” bridge. In the villages of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the opportunity for an education gives children yearning to learn a chance to break the cycle of poverty, terrorism, and war. It takes only 1 penny to buy a pencil, 100 pennies provide a month of education, empowering children to read, write, and think critically. Our students, as they collect pennies along with thousands around the globe, are able to broaden their cultural horizons, learn about other countries, issues facing the world, and their own ability to affect change. The Central Asia Institute, National Education Association and Pearson Foundation have developed different K-8 thematic, integrated curriculum resource guides with lesson plans that will be part of the EPDS classroom experience. Our students will learn the rewards of sharing and working together to bring hope and education opportunities to the children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, one penny at a time.
Support the Troops: Building on lessons from “Pennies for Peace”, our students will be writing letters of support and collecting special items needed by our troops in Afghanistan.
Open Door/Empty Bowl Dinner: The Empty Bowl Dinner raises both hunger awareness and money to support services for needy Cape Ann families. Students will make bowls for this event and other family members may choose a handmade bowl crafted by artisans from the community. The meal is simple-soup, bread and a cookie, but the message goes home with your bowl as a reminder-somewhere someone's bowl is always empty. http://www.capeannfoodpantry.org/01_About_Us/empty_bowl.html
