ATLANTA--Early on Saturday morning, April 29, a group of 220 students, 26 parents and 11 faculty members met at St. Pius X High School for their first Family Community Service Day. After sharing a quick breakfast and a short prayer, they spread out over the city. Crews organized by Sister Mary Kay Finneran , SC, campus outreach minister touched the lives of many Atlantans that day.

Although students are involved in community service projects all year long this was the school’s first attempt to involve a large number of families and teachers with students in a hands-on-the-community day.

One crew stayed at school to host 36 children and five parents from two family shelters, Nicholas House and the Interfaith Outreach House. They organized games and craft activities and served lunch to their guests.

Other crews sorted food at the Atlanta Community Food Bank, served meals at the St. Francis Table soup kitchen, and sorted clothes at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop. One group worked on landscaping at the Village of St. Joseph. Some went to Cabbagetown to help clean and paint the Kid’s Church.

Ten small groups helped elderly people with house repairs, cleaning and yardwork. One elderly man had been waiting for three years for someone to paint his garage. He had once owned a nursery and was upset that his landscaping was not well maintained. The junior varsity soccer team and their coach not only completed the paining job in three hours, they also manicured the yard. The owner was so thrilled he went out and bought hamburgers for the whole crew.

Some students have already returned to visit those they first met on April 29. Sister Finneran said. “The students really enjoyed working in small groups. They saw that small actions can make a big difference in people’s lives.” Plans are in the making for another community service day.