What began as a simple service project to share holiday meals with one school has grown into a county-wide effort that is providing 500 families with a Thanksgiving meal. That growth is possible through UWGK’s Community Schools strategy and its focus on active family and community engagement. Community Schools bring together partners who want to support students and align those partners with the needs identified by families and school staff.
“Taking care of our families helps us take care of our students,” said Dr. Rolen Blaine, Principal at New Hopewell Elementary. “When families feel supported, students can focus and learn.”
Community School Site Coordinators, embedded in 16 schools, work with administrators, teachers, parents, and volunteers to connect families with programs, partners, and services. They listen, understand what each school community needs, and help bring the right support at the right time. This guidance plays a key role in making sure Thanksgiving boxes are delivered in a way that maintains dignity and reinforces trust.
Partnership in Action
It takes a lot to coordinate 500 Thanksgiving boxes. Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church volunteers pack the boxes over a weekend each year. In the early years, Community School Coordinators picked up the boxes themselves, sometimes loading and unloading more than 50 boxes at a time. When Adam Fritts, Director of Community Schools, mentioned the project to partners at Knox County Parks and Recreation, they immediately offered support. Now, crews from Knox County Parks and Recreation show up with trucks and trailers and deliver the boxes to each school.
“For us, every box is a home and every home is a family,” said Whitney Fitzsimons, Recreation Coordinator at Knox County Parks and Recreation. “We’re proud to help make the deliveries.”
Her team works closely with Community Schools each year to schedule routes and ensure every school receives its delivery on time.
Susie Isaac, Mission Associate at Cedar Springs, added, “This partnership lets us connect with families in a way that feels natural and meaningful.”
A Holiday Shared Across the Community
This project is just one example of how our Community Schools’ strategy is coordinating and aligning resources for students, their families, and our schools. If you would like to learn more about supporting Community Schools, go to https://uwgk.org/schools/.
