Students share their blessings

It was a lesson in little things – like soap and toilet paper, food on the table and other things people often take for granted.

For the past 100 school days, students attending area Catholic schools have collected cans of food and household goods in multiples of 100 to give to the homeless, the hungry and others in need.

“You realize how little they have and how much you have and how you take stuff for granted,” said Matt Romano, a seventh-grader at Cataldo Catholic School.

Students at St. Patrick collected 400 rolls of toilet paper and 400 rolls of paper towels. Fifth-graders at St. Thomas More amassed 300 toothbrushes and 100 sticks of deodorant, while second-graders there collected 100 tubes of toothpaste.

These items, along with hundreds of other pieces of toiletry and household goods, will help homeless people, senior citizens and people with developmental disabilities – the thousands of people served every year by Catholic Charities.

Wednesday, the students brought their donations to St. John Vianney in Spokane Valley, where they were blessed by Bishop William Skylstad during Mass and later loaded into trucks for delivery.

The gathering of Catholic students from throughout the area was the culmination of 100 Ways in 100 Days, an annual event that raises young people’s awareness of poverty.

“It may sound like an insignificant thing to bring Kleenex or soup or diapers, but the people on the receiving end live on such small, fixed incomes that they don’t have the flexibility in their budgets to consider some of those things,” said Scott Cooper, parish social ministry director.

Established seven years ago as a way to connect area Catholic schools with Catholic Charities, 100 Ways in 100 Days is often an eye-opening experience for students, organizers said.

Tori Grenz, an eighth-grader at St. John Vianney, used some of her own allowance to buy canned fruit for the collection. Making that sacrifice helped her realize how fortunate she is and the importance of helping others, she said. “We need to help the poor and be charitable,” said the 13-year-old.

Service to others is one of the hallmarks of Catholic school education, said Sean Bailey, who teaches fifth-grade at All Saints School.

“It’s what God has called us to do,” he said, noting how students at his school participate in food drives and numerous service projects throughout the year. “We do these things because it’s the right thing to do, and we have a responsibility.”

Discussions about God and the importance of giving to others aren’t restricted to religion class, he said. They’re part of the entire curriculum. “We talk about it, and we live it,” Bailey said.

For 100 Ways in 100 Days, students collected items for at least one of the 15 programs that make up Catholic Charities. The women and children of St. Margaret’s Shelter received 100 packages of baby wipes and 100 boxes of cereal from the students at St. Mary’s. Low-income families with babies and toddlers who are part of St. Anne’s Child Care Program got baby bottles, pacifiers, puzzles, toys and other items from the students at All Saints. And homeless men at the House of Charity now have deodorant, shampoo and toothbrushes, thanks to the students at St. Thomas More and Guardian Angel-St. Boniface School in Colton, Wash.

During the offertory at Mass on Wednesday morning, students carried diapers, dish soap and toilet paper to the altar.

After acknowledging their contributions, Skylstad asked them to make this event part of their lifestyle, 365 days a year. “God has so richly blessed you and me,” he said. “We need to always be generous to one another and those in need.”

This year’s celebration of 100 Ways in 100 Days also coincided with National Catholic Schools Week, which features a number of events that honor teachers, parents and everyone involved with Catholic schools.