Throughout the year, our ASH middle school students volunteer at the Food Bank of The Hague. Recently, we followed some of our grade 7 students during their community service as part of their units and advisory classes on food, nutrition and poverty in the world.

Many of us in the ASH community may be surprised to learn that more than one million people live below the poverty line in the Netherlands, often not having enough food to eat. That is why food banks, such as the one in The Hague, are so important as it provides 2,000 food packages for over 1,600 households every week, including 45 here in Wassenaar. The food bank relies on community volunteers, including our student and staff volunteers, to pack crates of food.
 
Recently, ASH Admissions Director Laura Romains accompanied a group of grade 7 students and she spoke with the students about why they like being involved and what they are taking away from the experience:

“It’s nice to have that feeling you’re doing something for people and helping the community,” said Grayson, who has also volunteered with his family at a food bank in Houston and hopes to volunteer at a soup kitchen for the homeless during his break.

“Some people have so much food they can just waste and some people don’t have anything at all.” This was something that all the students acknowledged, reminded of the issue of hunger and poverty in the Netherlands, which they have been learning about in advisory this year, both through the hunger banquet they participated in (link to story) and through community service.
 
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