Students of St. Vincent Martyr School (SVMS) in Madison embraced the spirit of giving on Feb. 3 during Catholic Schools Week. They engaged in community service projects that reflected their commitment to faith-based education.
Community service is a cornerstone of the SVMS experience. Students from pre-K through eighth grade participated in activities that made a difference for those in need locally and beyond.
The youngest SVMS students began the week with thoughtful acts of kindness. Pre-K students crafted children’s rosaries and assembled Valentine’s treat bags to express appreciation for the faculty and staff’s dedication. Kindergarteners learned about hunger in New Jersey from a representative of Nourish N.J. They packed 80 breakfast snack bags to be distributed to those in need.
First graders attended a music therapy performance in the Community Room. They wrote heartfelt notes of encouragement for children receiving music therapy. Second graders, in preparation for their first Communion, met with Salesian Sisters Theresa Lee and Guerline Joseph to deepen their understanding of the Eucharist. They assembled first Communion gift bags, which included rosary beads, prayer cards, and bracelets, for neighboring parishes.
Third graders visited the Madison Ambulance Corps, where they learned about emergency medical services in their community. To show appreciation, they gifted the volunteers with treats and thank-you notes. Fourth graders crafted 22 chew toys for guide dogs and donated blankets for future service animals for The Seeing Eye, Inc. Volunteers, including puppy raisers, visited the school with puppies of all ages to share insights into the training process for service dogs.
Focusing on food insecurity, fifth graders welcomed a Father English Food Pantry representative, who shared the challenges families face when struggling to afford meals. The students assembled 50 snack bags and wrote encouraging notes to accompany them.
Service extended beyond the school campus as middle school students participated in outreach programs.
Sixth graders visited ECLC in Chatham, a school for students with special needs, where they played bingo and engaged in activities with them. Seventh graders traveled to Hillside to assist at the Community Food Bank of N.J., donating 238 pounds of food and helping package donations at the warehouse. Eighth graders visited Covenant House, where representatives spoke about homeless youth. Students assembled toiletry bags to support new residents at the shelter.
Throughout the week, SVMS families contributed to donation drives benefiting local organizations. Families of students in grades K-3 collected 915 diapers for the John Corr Family Resource Center in Morristown. They also gathered essential baby items for the Pregnancy Aid and Information Center in Raritan, including 42 bottles of baby shampoo, 58 baby bottles, 58 bottles of formula, 33 bottles of diaper rash cream, 48 packages of wipes, and 1,975 diapers. Families of students in grades 4-8 donated non-perishable food items to the Community Food Bank of N.J. and the Interfaith Food Pantry in Morris County.
SVMS is proud to instill values of compassion and service in its students, reinforcing that acts of kindness are not limited to Catholic Schools Week but are an integral part of their faith-based education year-round.
For information about SVMS, visit its website at https://www.svmsnj.org
