W.T. Clarke Middle School students fight hunger, one lunch at a time

In the cafeteria at W.T. Clarke Middle School, students rolled up their sleeves on Friday, donned hair nets and gloves and got to work, preparing 750 lunches for those in need.

The school’s National Junior Honor Society spearheaded the effort, thanks to a grant it received after an extensive application process.

Janine Loewy, the student group’s co-adviser, along with Maria Giannotti, explained that its student board, which consists of four students, chose to apply for a grant through the National Association of Secondary School Principals to complete a community service project.

The student board decided to use funds to put together lunches for Long Islanders experiencing food insecurity. Originally, the students aimed to pack 150 lunches, but after receiving an $800 grant, the operation expanded dramatically, allowing them to prepare 750 lunches.

Over the last several weeks, 55 student-members in the honor society, who are all in the eighth grade, solicited donations from local stores in the greater East Meadow community. Some stores donated gift cards, some gave non-perishables and others contributed fresh grocery items, such as deli meats, fruits and vegetables.

For the first three school periods on Friday, honor society members were excused from their regular classes to package the lunches. Many members, Loewy said, arrived and began working before the start of the school day.

“Some of them got here early,” Loewy said. “It’s a big undertaking, especially the week of, because some of the fresh food you can’t get ahead of time. This is the first time we’ve done it here, and I thought it would be a great learning experience for them.”

In the cafeteria, all of the students in the honor society packaged the lunches with the precision of an assembly line. Walking around the room in a large circle, they started by grabbing a bottle of water, fruit and carrots, followed by chips, cookies and a fresh sandwich.

The honor society partnered with Rock Can Roll, a Long Island-based nonprofit, which helped the students collaborate with local food banks and organizations to distribute the food. The food was packaged and sent the distributors after the event.

Aimée Holtzman founded Rock Can Roll, according to volunteer Leslie Hartman, who was at Clarke on Friday. Holtzman blended her love of music with helping others, launching the organization in 1998 by collecting food donations at rock concerts. The nonprofit has continued to partner not only with musicians but also with schools, corporations and private individuals to sustain its mission.

Hartman assists on the youth-side of the operation, teaching students how to shop smart when they receive donations and how to organize food pantries and drives.

“It’s all about helping people and hunger relief,” Hartman said.

Kyle Krauz, president of Clarke Middle School’s junior honor society, said he and his fellow board members worked diligently on the grant’s application, which contained 52 questions and required long-form, paragraph responses. He was surprised — and grateful — that the honor society received $800.

“I will say the scale of this exceeded the expectation,” Krauz said. “We just made it so upscale, kept raising the bar. I never expected this to happen.”

Krauz added that he felt the honor society members learned a lot about giving back and not being afraid to speak to business owners about donating.

“I feel like, as a community, it really brought everything together to help people in need,” he said. “I think we’re all really grateful for that. I hope we’re able to distribute it all, and I am glad to see this original plan come to action.”

Clarke’s principal, Elizabeth Dowling, expressed her appreciation for the students’ efforts.

“I’m so proud of Kyle for applying and being selected to receive this NASSP Student Service Grant, as well as the additional members of the National Junior Honor Society, who (assisted) him in completing this important and impactful goal,” Dowling said.

The donated lunches were distributed to several community organizations, including MOMMAS House in Glen Cove; SCO Family Services in Dix Hills; Community Solidarity in Hempstead; Hempstead Community Hearts; Centro Cristiano Familia in Jamaica, Queens; and Feed the Family Foundation in Brooklyn.

The businesses that donated to the students’ cause included Batter Up Bakery in Levittown; the Levittown and Garden City BJ’s locations; Caper’s Deli in Westbury; Cardinali Bakery in Carle Place; Costco in Westbury; Fine Fare Supermarket in Westbury; Food Bazaar in Westbury; Francesco’s Bakery in Hicksville; North Shore Farms in Mineola; Salpinos Italian Market in Wantagh; ShopRite in Plainview; Stew Leonard’s in East Meadow; Stop & Shop in Hicksville, Carle Place and Levittown; Trader Joe’s in Garden City; and Whole Foods in Garden City.

Holtzman, of Rock Can Roll, also contributed, as well as the Olivares and the Sukhu families, who live in the East Meadow community.