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I take my cues from Jesus, especially with service to others. In the Gospels, He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” and “I did not come to be served, but to serve.” Because we are a Christian high school, VCHS service is deeply rooted in Jesus’ words and actions.
STUCO’s Canned Food Drive for the Salvation Army is one practical way that we can love our neighbor. They have set a goal to have us collect over 1,500 items (non-perishable, perishable and hygiene) by Thursday, November 20th.
Who is our neighbor? Let me begin with a personal story. I volunteered at a ‘rescue mission’ in Chicago helping prepare and serve Thanksgiving meals to hundreds of people. I thought that most of the guests would be homeless. Later in the day, I sat down at a table next to a man to have my own dinner. We struck up a conversation, and he introduced me to his wife and two children. I learned that he and his wife were both employed, he as a painting contractor, and that they couldn’t afford to buy a decent Thanksgiving meal. I listened deeply to their story and gained a new perspective. I learned, they were my neighbors.
Our Eagle County neighbors who are experiencing food insecurity may seem abstract for many of us, like it was for me before that Thanksgiving meal. Without close relational proximity, it’s tough to understand what some in our county are experiencing. A recent Vail Daily article stated that over 1,400 of our Eagle County neighbors receive SNAP benefits, most of them children or 60+ years old.
Before the recent federal government shutdown (and its impact on SNAP), our local Salvation Army was already in need of generosity from local citizens. Now, that need seems to have multiplied.
If each VCHS student brought 10 or more non-perishable, perishable or hygiene items, we would easily exceed our 1,500-item goal. Let’s multiply that number by 1.5 or 2! VCHS is a generous community. Let’s have the eyes to see all our neighbors and respond with love and generosity.
Steve O'Neil
Head of School
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