USM Gives Back

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, University School of Milwaukee students, teachers, alumni, and families organized and participated in several events during the month of November with the goal of giving back to the communities in which we live and work.

USM Day of Service 
All members of the USM community were invited to participate in a service project on Saturday, Nov. 18 to support Interchange Food Pantry’s Thanksgiving Dinner Giveaway. A total of 106 volunteers assembled and distributed Thanksgiving baskets, which provided 556 families, or 2,134 guests, with a Thanksgiving dinner. This included 303 turkeys, 253 hams, 6,116 Thanksgiving trimming items like cranberry sauce, stuffing, and chicken broth, and 8,896 pounds of fruit and vegetables. “Saturday was a great day in part because of the USM volunteers,” said George Neureuther, Interchange Food Pantry director. “The key to making events such this a success is having a compassionate group of volunteers serving our guests!” The event was hosted by USM’s Alumni Association, with additional support from Will Piper ’96, USM’s assistant director of alumni relations and reunion giving. 

Middle School Food Drive
Members of the Middle School Student Leadership Club held a food drive in November, and invited the Middle School community to donate items to Kinship Community Food Center. Sam Vosters and Travis Sternhagen from Kinship visited students on Thursday, Nov. 16 to talk about how their organization promotes a healthy and vibrant community, and how USM students’ support impacts their work. “We want to change the way that people think about food, so that they have a choice,” said Vosters. “They can come through and shop in our market and gather around food that is healthy and builds community through the experience.” Students were assisted by Emily Ihrke, Middle School Academic Resource Center teacher and director of USM’s Ethical Leadership program. 

Spanish Honors Society
Upper School students from the Spanish Honors Society gathered at the Metro Market grocery store in Mequon, Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 18 to assemble Thanksgiving food baskets. The baskets were delivered to the Notre Dame School of Milwaukee to benefit families who requested them. Members of USM’s Spanish Honors Society have been making and delivering Thanksgiving food baskets to benefit area schools for many years. Cristina de Vizcarrondo, Upper School Spanish teacher and Spanish Honors Society advisor, provided assistance and supported the students in their work.