A group of Fox High students enrolled in a new job skills program has helped the Salvation Army of Jefferson County get ready for its first food distribution since a fire gutted the organization’s food pantry in November.
Larry Hostetler, director of the Jefferson County Salvation Army, said the drive-thru food distribution will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 2, at 3740 Telegraph Road just outside the Arnold city limits.
It is open to anyone who needs food and offers local residents a chance to replace some of the food they may have lost during the recent power outage following severe storms in the area.
On March 12, students in Fox High special education teacher Sarah Shackelford’s post-secondary transition class filled about 100 boxes with nonperishable food items to be distributed at the event. That project was part of a work-experience program Shackelford started this year for her students with developmental disabilities.
Hostetler said the Salvation Army has about 200 boxes prepared for the upcoming food distribution, and volunteers will pack additional boxes during the event as supplies last.
He said the Salvation Army increased the number of prepared boxes after a tornado touched down on March 14 near Clayton Huskey Road north of Hillsboro and traveled into Arnold.
“Due to the tornado, we expect that we will have a far larger group of people driving through for the food,” Hostetler said. “Some people had to throw out food because they were without power. We are giving out some fresh fruit and vegetables and meat. This will take some of the load off of some things they had to throw out, and the canned goods are also helpful.
“We have people doing canned food drives for us and donating meat. We are expecting to meet the need as it comes through our parking lot.”
Hostetler said the Salvation Army may hold other similar distributions if it takes longer than expected to get its food pantry repaired.
At about 7 a.m. Nov. 20, a refrigerator in the Salvation Army’s food pantry caught fire, causing significant smoke damage throughout the building, the Salvation Army reported.
Hostetler said the Salvation Army is still seeking bids to rebuild the pantry, and he said he hopes work will begin before the end of April.
“We are still in a waiting pattern because of some of the code requirements,” he said on March 19.
The Fox High students’ work to prepare for the food distribution was not the first time they helped the Salvation Army this school year.
Hostetler said the class also helped clean up after the fire; move food into two trailers, including a refrigerated one; sort and tag toy donations for the Salvation Army’s Christmas distribution; and sort clothing for the organization.
“I cannot overstate how valuable this has been to us,” he said. “We appreciate greatly what these students have allowed us to do.”
Fox High School special education teacher Sarah Shackelford helps set up crates to carry canned goods.
Beyond the classroom
Shackelford said her 19 students, who are between the ages of 14 and 21, volunteer at the Salvation Army twice a month. The students also work at the Jefferson County Library’s Arnold Branch once a month and at Fox Elementary School.
“I work with students on transitional skills and goals, such as job skills, independent living skills and social skills. How are they going to function and take care of themselves after high school? I also focus on competitive wage employment because they deserve that.”
Wyatt Barron, 17, of the Fenton area said he enjoys working at the Salvation Army the most.
“Helping a place like the Salvation Army is something I like; they really need it,” he said. “It is a lot of moving around and less sitting down.”
At the library, the students complete a variety of tasks, branch manager Meredith McCarthy said. They help with inventory, counting pieces in puzzle boxes to make sure all the pieces have been returned and putting DVDs in the proper cases.
She said the students also sort seeds for the seed library, shred documents, reshelve books, fold brochures and help clean up spaces in the library.
“(The students) help us with a lot of projects and move them forward quicker than we can do on our own,” McCarthy said. “It is validating to provide this opportunity for the students to build their skills.”
Jonathan Hartness, 21, of Arnold said he has most enjoyed working at the library, and he feels the program is helping him prepare for life after graduation.
“I have learned how to do all sorts of jobs and work with the community a little bit,” he said. “It is pretty important that I get to learn all of the types of jobs I may do after I graduate high school.”
At Fox Elementary, the students prepare the cafeteria for students to eat lunch and help distribute meals. They also do custodial work, such as cleaning doorknobs and desks.
Alyssa Rios, 19, of Arnold said she also appreciates the program.
“It will help being able to know how to do different jobs,” she said. “We get to go out and do new things. We are learning social skills and how to communicate with others.”
Annalise Klein stacks boxes with canned goods at the Arnold Salvation Army.
The program
Shackelford is in her third year teaching at Fox High School after working the previous nine years at Windsor High School, where her students were involved in a job-skills program.
She said she wanted to bring the same kind of program to Fox High.
“Our classroom mantra is, ‘You can do hard things,’” Shackelford said. “We hold them accountable to that. They show up and do what we ask them to do. You will hear them say I can do hard things all of the time.”
Shackelford said the students held fundraisers and operated a coffee cart at Fox High to raise money to help cover the cost of transportation and pay for magnetic name tags. She also received grants from the C-6 Educational Foundation and the Jefferson Foundation to purchase uniform shirts for the students and help cover the transportation costs.
She said students provide the non-slip shoes, slacks, black socks and black belts they are required to wear while working at the various locations.
“I am trying to prepare them for work by having these things required,” she said.
Shackelford said the students will be able to put their volunteer hours on resumes when they seek employment, and the program teaches the students work ethic and social skills.
“We leave in tears a lot because this is such a beautiful experience to see these kids grow,” she said about herself and teacher’s assistant Angela Gist. “Their social skills are improving. Kids who don’t usually talk to people are going out of their way to talk to people. Their conversation skills are so impressive. I can see their work ethic.”
Shackelford said businesses and organizations that want to participate in the job-skills program may email her at shackelfords@foxc6.org.