The success of last year’s MLK Jr. Oatmeal Drive Challenge to benefit Boston’s Pine Street Inn was a testament to the strength and caring of the Belmont Day School community. In total, students, parents, and faculty donated more than 430 boxes of instant oatmeal, a hearty and healthy breakfast item that Pine Street Inn requested as it is frequently in high demand for the organization’s homeless clients. Hundreds of the individual oatmeal boxes were also decorated with joyful messages and designs by students through the cross-graded partners program.
The Parents’ Independent School Network (PIN) recently recognized the Oatmeal Drive Challenge and our school’s ongoing commitment to Pine Street Inn with a community service grant of $100.00. From PIN’s letter of recognition, the Oatmeal Drive Challenge met the organization’s criteria for support in that it:
- provides contact students and the people they are serving
- shows creativity and originality
- encourages making things as opposed to purchasing them
- is age appropriate
- spans multiple years
Belmont Day School has been long been connected to PIN as a valuable resource, especially to the BDS Parents’ Association. We are honored by this recognition and the grant will be directly used to further the school’s community service campaigns in support of Pine Street Inn.
This Friday, January 15, 2021 at our MLK Jr. Day assembly, our community will launch a three-week effort (January 15 through February 5) to collect outreach kit items for the Pine Street Inn. Due to the demands during the pandemic, the Pine Street Inn greatest need now is for these basic items. Click here to review the list of items in an outreach kit.
For more information, please contact Dr. Carlos Hoyt, director of equity and inclusion, at choyt@belmontday.org.
