GERSTELL ACADEMY
LEADERSHIP • HONOR • COURAGE

Falcon Outreach Offers Hope for the Holidays

Gerstell Academy Upper School Club Falcon Outreach took action and organized a successful and rewarding canned food and gift drive. Led by Outreach President Malcolm Hoar, students in all three divisions participated in this community service project.  The Lower School students contributed designated items by grade level. Falcon Outreach officers presented the plans for the canned food drive during a Leadership Circle and were delighted with the response. Additionally, the Middle School students brought in a plethora of canned and nonperishable food items, and the Upper School students contributed both food and money.  

Collections were organized through each Middle School and Upper School advisory. Due to the overwhelming generosity of students and staff members alike, Falcon Outreach was able to help provide much-needed food items to both the Carroll County Family Shelter and the Night-by-Night Shelter. With the additional support of National Honor Society, parents and staff, many Falcons donated gifts, toys, and warm winter accessories that helped make the holidays a bit brighter for many people in Carroll County. 

On Friday, December 12th, 43 Upper School students delivered a wide array of goods.  The students, food and all the donated items were transported to Westminster via five Gerstell buses. Mr. Brian Abbott, Head of the Upper School, also lent his help to deliver food and gifts.   

Families at the overnight shelter were recipients of multiple boxes of cereal and granola bars, oatmeal, apple sauce and fruit cups, as well as hats, gloves, socks, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.  Students then stopped at the family shelter and unloaded box upon box of non-perishable food, as well as all the fresh food items purchased at BJ’s the day before. The families living in the shelter received such items as: butter, cheese, milk, orange juice, yogurt, chicken breasts, spiral-cut hams, bacon, hot dogs, ground beef, bags of salad mix, potatoes, onions, apples, oranges, bananas, carrots, celery, eggs, bread, bagels, holiday cookies, and assorted pies.  The final stop was St. John’s Catholic Church. Students unloaded and delivered a plentiful array of gifts and toys.  
 
Thank you to everyone within the Gerstell community who contributed to this community service project.  
 
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