CA Club Helps Fight Food Insecurity Ahead of Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving season, the CA students involved in the Lawrence-Concord Action Partnership (LCAP) aren’t just giving thanks—they’re also giving back. Together the student-led initiative has a goal of fighting food insecurity in the local community. 

LCAP is making a meaningful difference through its work with the Lazarus House in Lawrence, Mass. The nonprofit organization’s mission is to provide shelter, clothing, food, and holistic resources to individuals and families facing material poverty and homelessness, to pave a path for a hopeful future.

The partnership between LCAP and the Lazarus House consists of three hands-on service visits. On October 29, the students volunteered in the transitional housing program and hosted a Halloween party with the residents. On November 5, students assembled 150 bagged lunches for the soup kitchen. Next, LCAP will host a food drive competition at CA and deliver the items to the Lazarus House on December 3.

The group of five is led by Rory Kennealy ’24, Charlie Kellett ’24, Jasper Perlis ’24, Maureen Coffey ’24, and Phoebe Burke ’24, who are joined by an additional 10 to 15 student volunteers. This new club was formed at the end of the previous school year by students wanting to make a difference in the areas of education, food insecurity, homelessness, and sustainability. Rory Kennealy determined the partner organizations by meeting with and interviewing 17 Lawrence-area organizations over the summer. Their first project was an Earth Day cleanup collaboration with Groundwork Lawrence. “Going to a school like Concord Academy, we have a bunch of opportunities to do good in the world,” Rory says. “Doing this is an opportunity to help others who are not as fortunate.”

This winter, the students plan to continue their volunteer work with the organization Manos Felices! They will be tutoring students living in public housing in Lawrence, with an emphasis on homework completion and independent reading. They also hope to bring guest speakers to campus to speak about the power of participating in community service. LCAP is directly engaging students in dialogue about social issues, and giving them the tools to make a lasting impact.

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