The holidays usher in a season of giving for Milton’s Community Engagement Programs and Partnerships, beginning with a Hunger Awareness Event in November, which helps to remind the school community of the realities of food insecurity.
During the event, all Upper School students, faculty, and staff who ate lunch in Forbes Dining Hall selected tickets at random, assigning them to an income category: low, middle, or high, which corresponded with global income distribution. Those who selected “low” tickets—the majority of people—were given a lunch of only rice; “middle” income recipients could have rice and beans; while “high income” people could enjoy a regular meal. Aramark, Milton’s dining services provider, donated the savings from offering a full service, and the Milton Bookstore also contributed a donation. The lunch accompanied conversations about food insecurity, justice, and inequity in assembly and advisories.
The event raised more than $2,000, “which is going to Partners in Health to support their childhood malnutrition work, as well as a portion to the Greater Boston Food Bank,” said CEPP Director Andrea Geyling-Moore.
Additionally, CEPP has been hard at work collecting gifts for local children whose families are struggling, Geyling-Moore said.
“Milton Academy parents have been wonderfully supportive, and our students will be working to distribute the gifts,” she said. “We had another 50 kids who were added from the Taylor School [an elementary school in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood] because they had a big influx of immigrant families recently. There’s a huge number of children with gift wishes for things like winter coats and toys, as well as grocery gift cards for their families.
In addition to the Taylor School, the gift drive supports families at the Brookview House, a shelter for homeless women and children, as well as children receiving services through the Department of Children and Families.
Milton families interested in supporting CEPP’s efforts can contact community_engagement@milton.edu.