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As part of their celebrations for Catholic Schools Week, held this year from Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, the faculty and students at St. Matthew School, Edison, collected donations of birthday supplies to help needy families.
The “birthday bundles,” as they were referred to by the school community, will be distributed to families through Unity Square, a community organizing and social concerns initiative of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen (CCDOM) that works to empower community members and catalyze change in a 36-block residential neighborhood of New Brunswick.
Unity Square focuses on a target neighborhood of about 6,000 low-income residents. Most neighborhood families are working poor and have young children, and most of the adults are Spanish-speaking immigrants from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Through Unity Square, the community addresses a diverse set of issues, including economic development, employment, civic participation, crime and safety, immigrants’ rights, and tenants’ rights.
According to Joyce Schaefer, principal, St. Matthew School, the parochial institution regularly conducts food and clothing drives, as well as weekly mission collections throughout the year but, she said, “The Catholic Schools Week project provided an opportunity for the students to work together.
“It is important for all people to be socially conscious of the needs of others and to provide support when able,” she added. “As a Catholic school, it is truly part of our mission, of who we are. Involvement in community service is a part of our curriculum, from Pre-K through eighth grade.”
Clients of CCDOM, particularly those in New Brunswick who are assisted by Unity Square, are always appreciative of the donations provided, said Lisa Novalany, social concerns service area director, CCDOM, and a parent of two children at the school.
“We are looking forward to giving these birthday bundles to the families,” she said, adding that the specialness of birthdays adds to the excitement of distributing the donations.
Not knowing Novalany was a service area director for Catholic Charities, Schaefer said they were already in contact with Catholic Charities to determine where the bundles would be best distributed, when she learned of the connection.
“It was a pleasant surprise to discover that a parent of two of our students would be facilitating the delivery of the birthday bundles,” the principal said. “It was the icing on the cake!”
The 24 birthday bundles amassed by the school contained supplies such as birthday plates, napkins, icing, cake mix, birthday candles, sprinkles, disposable aluminum pans, and vegetable oil.
“In addition to collecting all the items, the entire school body gathered together in the cafeteria to create birthday cards, in English and Spanish, to include with the birthday bundles,” Schaefer said.
The students were told there are families in the community and within the counties served by CCDOM — Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren — that are struggling and may not be able to afford everyday essential items such as food, clothing and shelter, much less the extra items customarily used to celebrate a birthday.
“Everyone agreed that birthdays are special days and they like to celebrate, both at school and at home,” Schaefer said. “So, the idea of providing all the items needed for making a birthday cake, and even the candles, was enthusiastically accepted [by the students and their families].”
Even though they are young, the students recognize the value of serving others and celebrating life as a gift, the principal affirmed.
“Celebrating a birthday is important because it is a celebration of a life,” she said. “Life is a gift from God and recognizing the day a person came into this world validates his or her importance. It is a positive experience that allows us to show others how much we value them and are thankful to God for their presence in our life.”
In a visit to the school for Catholic Schools Week, where the collection of donations was prominently displayed in the front entrance, Bishop James F. Checchio commented on the goodness of the students and their families for helping to serve those in need through Catholic Charities.
“Jesus asks us to be kind to those in need and to one another,” he said to the students in the school cafeteria, where the students were making birthday cards. He acknowledged the good works of the students, reminding them that they have a lot to be thankful for and thanking them for their kindness and their acts of charity. “You make us very proud!” the bishop told them emphatically.
