Iowa City Junior Youth Collect Food

Reprinted with permission from the Cedar Rapids Bahá’í Newsletter, January 2014

As the temperature dropped, the Iowa City junior youth worked to bring warmth and the spirit of giving to their neighborhood. On Sunday, December 29, Maya, Alma, Lily, Shannon Beck, and Meghan Hunter conducted a brown bag food drive, giving over 15 neighbors the opportunity to donate non-perishables to the Iowa City Crisis Center. We will proceed to pick up the contributions at our upcoming meeting next Sunday.

As a thank you, each participant will receive a note and some baked goods, as prepared by the junior youth and members of the children’s class. The service project was in the works for several weeks, and everyone worked hard collaborating to make the event a success.

Alma’s reasoning for picking a food drive had to do with the holidays. “Since it was near Christmas, [the food drive] had something to do with giving,” Alma said. The idea of baking and community building were also large driving factors. Despite the cold, Maya felt good about the project. “It went well, but people felt bad for us,” Maya said. Shannon adding that it was a “good bonding experience.”

After the project wraps up, continuing to study “Breezes of Confirmation” is next of the list for the junior youth.