St. Mary South Side’s Annual Day of Service

This year, St. Mary South Side Catholic High School in St. Louis, MO, partnered with 14 local area organizations to participate in a day of service. St. Mary’s students prepared a vacant property for rehabilitation through the St. Joseph Initiative, sorted and prepared groceries for those in need, and cleaned up the Mississippi River and the local streets. The students shared their positive experiences and felt empowered as a community through their participation in this day of service.

“I can ACTUALLY help people. Everyone is called to help in their own way.” This was a response, echoed by most of our young Dragons, to St. Mary’s South Side's annual day of service. Taking a day to invest sweat equity in cleaning up the streets of our neighborhood is a longstanding tradition at St. Mary’s South Side. However, last year, inspired by the challenge of the Encounters Project, for the second consecutive year, we expanded our school’s reach and impact with this event. Partnering with 14 area organizations, a new record for us, we sent students out to area organizations, parishes, schools, food banks, parks, and into our Dutchtown neighborhood to do the work.

Our students cleared thousands of pounds of garbage and litter off the streets and alleyways of our area. They sorted and prepared groceries for the food-insecure. They hauled waste out of the Mississippi River. They cleared out a vacant property, filling an entire industrial dumpster, to prepare the house to be rehabbed by the St. Joseph Housing Initiative. They were in area elementary schools, either working directly with students or doing other much-needed labor.

This day is a benefit to both our community and our students. In addition to removing litter from our streets and keeping it out of our watershed and directly helping local schools, the day gives our students a greater sense of ownership of their community. The goal is to empower our students to go forward and empower their community. One student voiced, “I felt like I was actually doing something. I actually cared, which is new [for me]." Another student stated, “It made me feel like St. Mary’s is one big family. We worked together like a family.”

Update sent by Curt Sidorski

MFEP Ministry Lead,

Social Studies & Media Teacher

St. Mary's South Side Catholic High School, St. Louis, MO