Community Service Projects
All Saints’ Community Outreach Team (COT) consists of parent volunteers to create and coordinate age-appropriate community service projects for each grade. Projects remain consistent year-to-year and provide a foundation of compassion and giving in our children to reflect our Catholic values. Community outreach is a key component of achieving our school’s mission.
Pre-Kindergarten – The Sunshine Committee
PreK service is to spread joy throughout our All Saints community. Teachers lead students in creating cards and posters for parish and school staff, teachers, assistants, and extended-care personnel. They celebrate birthdays with artful, hand written cards. When someone needs prayers and thoughts during times of hardship or sorrow, students let them know that they are praying and thinking of them. The goal is to assist our youngest students in building empathy and good-citizenship.
How Are Parents Involved:
Parents can provide supplies for cards like stickers, special paper, confetti etc…Another way families can help is to take the time to have meaningful discussions with their children about celebrating and having empathy for those in their community.
Kindergarten – People in our Community
In an effort to build the concept of “community”, students will take part in discussion and create a special message for our three project recipient groups: veterans, seniors, and neighbors. It compliments age appropriate curriculum emphasizing the importance of understanding and respecting the roles people play within the community of All Saints and Portland.
Veteran’s Day: Discuss the value provided by our veterans and create patriotic flag door hangers that show our appreciation for their service.
Valentine’s Day: Send a thoughtful message of love to Laurelhurst Village (a nearby Senior Living facility) with heart-shaped light catchers for residents’ windows.
May Day: Discuss the importance of being a good neighbor and create paper flower bouquets to show our thanks to the neighbors in the homes that surround All Saints.
How Are Parents Involved:
Partner with the Community Outreach Liaison and teachers to support the projects within the classroom. Volunteers are needed to deliver completed projects to Veterans Hospital, Laurelhurst Village and neighborhood homes on May Day. Families can also help by continuing to discuss the importance of community with children at home.
1st Grade – Uplift Patients & Families
Twice a year first grade students will collect donations to benefit two charities related to children experiencing a stay in the hospital. In fall, the class collects art and craft supplies for the patients at Randall Children’s Hospital. In spring, the class collects snacks for the food pantry to benefit families staying in the Ronald McDonald House. They read books or are given a presentation by a representative of the nonprofit organization and listen to how their generosity helps other kids.
How Are Parents Involved:
Support the projects with contributing donations. Families can also help by continuing to discuss the importance of empathy and good citizenship with children at home.
2nd Grade – Books Build Bridges
What Is the Project:
Once a year the second grade hosts an all-school book drive to benefit Children’s Book Bank at SMART Reading. The Children’s Book Bank strives to improve the literacy skills of children of all ages with little to no access to libraries by giving them books of their own. The Children’s Book Bank collects, repairs, and packages used books. The students will listen to an in-class presentation by a CBB representative, learn how to clean books, create posters to promote the book drive, and present information about the book drive to each All Saints class, bring book donations from home, and help collect books at the Book Drive table.
How Are Parents Involved:
Besides helping kids clean out their home bookshelf, parents will be needed to help collect books at the book drive table before and after school, and may also be needed to help deliver books to the Children’s Book Bank.
3rd Grade – Colorful Reuse
Students work with two organizations that represent creative ways to recycle or reuse materials, specifically art supplies – SCRAP and The Crayon Initiative.
In the winter, classes will participate with an in-class art project that demonstrates the principles of SCRAP by recycling materials to create something new. During the project, a presenter will talk about what the organization does and how their donations help the community. They also collect donations of old or unused materials to be donated for reuse at SCRAP.
At the close of the school year, 3rd Grade will host an all-school used crayon drive to benefit The Crayon Initiative. After an in-class talk and discussion, students make promotional posters, present information about the crayon drive to each All Saints class, bring and help collect crayon donations.
How Are Parents Involved:
Parent volunteers could be needed to deliver donated materials to the organizations as well as supporting in-class poster creation. Families can also help by continuing to discuss the importance of community and ways to continue to be sustainable with children at home.
4th Grade – Feeding the Hungry
Twice a year the 4th grade classrooms will support the Blanchet House, an organization working to fight food insecurity for those experiencing homelessness. In the fall and spring, the 4th grade classes create sack lunches to support The Blanchet House homeless lunch program. Grade families donate to a grocery shopping fund, and then students gather in the Parish Hall to make sandwiches and create sack lunches.
How Are Parents Involved:
Family participation is critical and their donations of food or dollars to put towards the purchase of those supplies will be key. Parent volunteers are welcome to help with assembling the sack lunches. Families can also help by continuing to discuss the importance of community with children at home.
5th Grade – Kids Helping Kids
The fifth grade hosts two all-school drives benefiting organizations that help foster children with basic clothing and supply needs – Northwest Children’s Outreach and Project Lemonade.
In the fall, Northwest Children’s Outreach clothing drive focuses on new or gently used warm winter clothing. In spring, students lead an all-school drive for Project Lemonade and collect donations of new socks and underwear. This service project is conducted in spring to best prepare Project Lemonade for the “Back to School shopping” that occurs in their store throughout the summer. With each project, there is an in-class talk and discussion, students make promotional posters, present information about the drive to each All Saints class, bring and help collect clothing donations.
How Are Parents Involved:
Family participation is critical to donation drives and clothing collections. Parent volunteers are welcome to help with collection bins, sorting, bagging and boxing, and delivering supplies collected. Families can also help by continuing to discuss the importance of community with children at home.
6th Grade – Planting for the Future
In the spring, 6th graders learn about the responsibilities and impact of Portland Parks & Rec, as well as the volunteers required to support it. The classes will take a field trip to Laurelhurst Park and work hands-on under the leadership of the neighborhood volunteer group Friends of Laurelhurst Park to plant and mulch in designated areas. Working in their school’s local park helps them to understand the great undertaking and volunteer support needed to keep these spaces healthy, beneficial and accessible to them and the community.
How Parents are Involved:
Parents are asked for a small monetary donation as well as in-class volunteering for the field trip to Laurelhurst Park. Families can also help by continuing to discuss the importance of community and ways to continue to keep green spaces thriving with children at home.
7th Grade – Caring for Pets
In the fall, 7th grade students create pet tug toys to donate to dogs currently living at the Oregon Humane Society. Students hear from a guest speaker and then collect old t-shirts and blankets, cut strips of fabric and follow instructions on how to braid them into tug toys for dogs.
How Are Parents Involved:
Parent volunteers can cut some of the fabric into strips prior to project day and also volunteer within the classroom. A volunteer will be needed to deliver completed projects toys to OHS. Families can also help by continuing to discuss the importance of community with children at home.
7th Grade Curriculum Project – Called to Discipleship
During the lenten season, students direct their own, independent service project. This provides students with a great opportunity to exhibit effective discipleship, communication, and problem-solving skills. They will identify a need for outreach they are passionate about and create a plan to support their cause. Example organizations and project from previous years have been: Clackamas County Dog Service, The Crib Project, Free Geek, Hacienda CDC, Graffiti Removal, Pongo Fund, Oregon Food Bank, SOLV, Friends of Trees, Rose Haven Women’s Shelter, Central City Concern, The Portland Transition Projects, All Saints Chess Class and Theater Means Bright. Students will share their projects and celebrate their accomplishments with the parish community on Service Sunday held in the Parish Hall.
How Are Parents Involved:
Parents support their student’s selected project by helping to transport kids to a service appointment, or collect and deliver donations and to attend Service Sunday.
8th Grade – St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
The 8th grade students lead monthly canned food drives to benefit the food pantry located in the All Saints Parish. Students collect all donated items from donation areas and deliver to the food pantry and help stock the shelves. Students also support a Christmas box event where volunteers pack boxes and carry them to cars outside on delivery day.
How Are Parents Involved:
Parents can participate by donating to the monthly drives. Families can also help by continuing to discuss the importance of community with children at home. There are also family opportunities to be hands on by signing up for delivery volunteers or in December with a call out for the special holiday box deliveries. They should contact asstvdp@gmail.com to learn more.
Additional 8th Grade Student Involvement:
As Stewards of the School, the eighth graders take on a great range of other tasks during the course of the year as directed by their teachers. They are responsible for: setting up for parish functions and school assemblies, providing tech support and leadership for many assemblies, taking out recycling/trash twice a week, managing the Jog-a-thon, and providing academic support and service to classrooms.
All Grades – Catholic Charities Housing Transitions Program
Each month of the school year, a different grade participates in a collection for Catholic Charities Housing Transitions Program. Students and families from each grade donate snacks and toiletries in paper bags decorated with drawings and encouraging messages. This project has been an All Saints tradition since 2014.
All Grades – The Christmas Giving Tree
In December, All Saints families support Catholic Charities Refugee Resettle Program with a Giving Tree. This collection drive is a special tradition and helps multiple families transitioning here from all over the world celebrate the Christmas holiday with donated gifts.
All Grades – Create for the Community Workshops
COT hosts a series of 3-4 craft workshops over the school year for students and families to create something wonderful for themselves as well as a local non-profit organization. Small groups will be led through a seasonally themed craft project, enjoy snacks and refreshments, and support a great cause. Example past workshops include a Pumpkin Succulent Arrangement for Blanchet House dining hall leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday and Holiday Wreaths for Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement program so families can enjoy fresh, holiday greenery to celebrate the Christmas season.