A New Type of ‘Actions Not Words’ Ministry

Drive-through volunteering builds a ‘habit of virtue’

As we celebrate the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, the Mayfield community has been proving how our Holy Child values continue to enrich our lives in profound and lasting ways. But when it came to volunteering—while people were under restrictions to remain socially distant most of the year—approaching the challenge required some major ingenuity. So we dramatically re-envisioned some of the ways we could be of service to others.

It’s 8:30 a.m. in front of Pike Auditorium, and it’s uncomfortably hot already, although you wouldn’t know it by watching how effortlessly the masked Campus Ministry team accomplishes its work. Team members are set up under pop-up tents arranged on the driveway. Armed with a clipboard and a smile in her eyes, Theology teacher and Assistant Director of Campus Ministry Carol Fitzsimmons stands next to a sign marked “Loaves and Fishes,” fielding donations of homemade lunches from Mayfield families for Union Station Homeless Services.

Mayfield Senior School has long found its strength as a community of faith. Campus Ministry, theology, volunteerism and service learning are some of the many ways we’ve expressed and explored our Holy Child mission. But much of that changed when students left campus in March 2020, and a new approach to ministry did not come easily. “When school went remote...we lost our bearings for a bit,” admits Director of Campus Ministry Teri Gonzales. She knew that any new venture “needed to ground itself again to purpose and meaning.” And, she says, “The greatest challenge was to reimagine what a beloved faith community can look like and be during these challenging times.”

Amid a landscape of anxiety and widespread suffering, Campus Ministry has been exploring unique ways to nurture the spiritual life of the Mayfield family and beyond. Student retreats went remote, a “virtual chapel” was designed to conduct prayer services online, team members started employing apps like Magnify Your Voice to approach service and civic engagement digitally, and the Loaves and Fishes service initiative was born of an entirely new approach to volunteering.

Campus Ministry Council Service Coordinator Mia Maalouf ’22 with Head of School Kate Morin.

Union Station has been a longstanding Mayfield community service partner and, before the pandemic, a group of student volunteers would do a regular breakfast shift before their classes. But the small working kitchen made safe social distancing impossible, so when Union Station advised that it was accepting bagged lunches, the Campus Ministry Council (CMC) jumped at the chance to help. CMC Service Coordinators Gabrielle Owen ’21 and Mia Maalouf ’22 both took on active planning roles. Gabrielle explains, “Since Mayfield has been consistent throughout the years with student and faculty volunteers, we wanted to continue helping [Union Station] in any way possible.”

The first week of Loaves and Fishes brought in 207 lunches; week two, 252; week three, 368; and week four, an astounding 527. This dramatic leap may have been partially linked to a well-timed lesson in Michelle Gergen’s Theology class. She was teaching the story of the “Good Samaritan” to Sophomores and asked the class in what ways that story had played out in their own lives. Kara Garikian ’23 didn’t analyze the parable with a past experience, but with an upcoming activity. Sophomores had been asked to go on campus to pick up their Retreat supplies, coincidentally at the same time as the Loaves and Fishes dropoff. Kara drew a direct comparison to the biblical story. If a student picked up a bag for themselves but didn’t donate for others at the same time, wouldn’t they be ignoring the needs of those at Union Station, like those who ignored the needs of the wounded person in the parable? Ms. Gergen said the comment sparked a lively class discussion, which energized a lot of students.

This service initiative also got students’ families involved in deeply moving ways. “It’s taking service home—families doing service together,” says Ms. Fitzsimmons. “The habit of service, the habit of virtue, doesn’t come naturally,” but the very routine of service is transformative because—at some point—it becomes natural, and it encourages “the spiritual balance that comes when we live the Christian call to love our neighbor."

Faculty and staff deliver lunch donations to Union Station Homeless Services.

Although this spiritual dimension was never explicitly outlined in the suggestions for lunch preparation guidelines, it seems it was inspiring for many families. Mayfield dad and Board of Trustees member Richard Vargas shares why his family comes back week after week: “With the pandemic and the economic downturn, we know many people are hurting...we enjoy helping our neighbors in this era of physical distancing.” And Mr. Vargas explains how this interpersonal service happens in their household. “I will set out the bags on Saturday and then Sunday we start to fill them with bottled water, chips, cookies. On Tuesday the fruit gets added, and on Wednesday morning my daughter [Emily ’22] makes the sandwiches and they are added to the bags, and we deliver them to Mayfield.” Ms. Gonzales strongly believes that doing acts of service together enriches everyone involved. “In a very deep sense that is what faith is all about,” she says. “It is not just personal but relational.” And some families went above and beyond. One student drew red cub paws on the dozens of lunch bags she prepared each week. Another family would consistently include a fresh cloth face mask inside their brown bags, and during the holidays, they also enclosed some cash in ziplock bags.

This unique drive-through service program also attracted alum volunteers who appreciated the need—and the opportunity—to share their gifts with others. “It’s been such an honor to be able to be a part of the Loaves and Fishes program and drop off the packed lunches every week,” says Devon Belter ’09. “It’s been a great way to reconnect with my fellow alumni and just get back involved.” And when Devon went on the road for work, her mother continued to drop off lunches in her stead.

“It was such a blessing to build out this lunch service and to see families making an effort to reach out and help others in great need,” says Ms. Fitzsimmons. “And so many expressed gratitude to help in some ways during this strange time of isolation.”

Mia is amazed at how the program has grown and, considering its success, she hopes Loaves and Fishes doesn’t remain a COVID-19-specific activity. “We are hoping to implement this initiative year-round once we eventually return to normalcy.”

Mayfield’s Campus Ministry leaders have no intention of stopping this wildly nourishing program, either. Ms. Fitzsimmons explained there is still a fair amount of work to continue to educate about the issues regarding “food and hunger,” but, she says, “this program is a start, and it makes a real difference in the lives of others.” When she imagines what the school—and the Loaves and Fishes program—will look like this coming fall, she still has some unanswered questions. But when people inquire if the program will be running, her resolve is evident. With a certainty of purpose, she asks sincerely, “How could we not?”

12,000+

Total lunches donated in 2020-21

1,542

Biggest one-day donation (Cornelia Connelly Day)

35

Wednesday drive-through days