Kinship Partnership Supports Empathy in Action

Since 2015, 3rd grade students at University School of Milwaukee have worked closely with Kinship Community Food Center through an impactful service-learning project. This year, the initiative expanded beyond 3rd grade to include students from prekindergarten through 4th grade, along with help from 8th graders. What began as a focused effort in one grade has now grown into a larger collaboration, supporting Kinship’s mission of food justice and community care. This expansion highlights the school’s commitment to nurturing students as learners, leaders, and citizens who engage meaningfully with their Milwaukee community.

Grade-level Contributions

Prekindergarten and junior kindergarten students created vibrant watercolor artwork for notecards. These notecards, filled with thoughtful messages, were later delivered to individuals and families visiting Kinship. Kindergarteners wrote messages of love, kindness, and unity, offering small gestures with lasting impact.

First graders took on the task of hole-punching and organizing each handwritten notecard, which ensured that every message could be securely attached to a reusable canvas bag. Second graders painted the canvas bags, transforming them into colorful, thoughtful gifts.

Third graders earned money at home through service or chores, which was used to purchase nutritious food to donate to Kinship. On a visit to the Kinship Food Center, they helped organize and stock shelves, supporting efforts to feed those in need. In addition, with the help of USM’s PK-8 academic technology coordinator, Matthew Gagnier, in the Middle School’s makerspace, they designed iron-on stencils for the tote bags. 

Fourth grade students took a field trip to Kinship's Grow urban farm, where they assisted with cultivating fresh produce in hoop houses. Fresh produce is then taken to the Kinship Community Food Center. The 4th graders, armed with tools and gardening gloves, helped to pull weeds and prepare for upcoming plantings.

Third Graders' Service-learning Journey

Over the past month, 3rd graders explored the realities faced by people in need—whether through loss of housing, unemployment, isolation, or other difficult circumstances. Lessons focused on poverty and food insecurity in Milwaukee, including the challenges many in the community face, such as food deserts. Through these studies, students gained a deeper understanding of the hardships faced by others. They were also visited by Travis Sternhagen from Kinship, who spoke to them about how Kinship promotes a healthy and vibrant community, and how USM students’ support impacts their work.

In addition, they learned about the importance of healthful food choices, impactful donation items, and wise shopping practices when purchasing food to donate. These lessons helped foster empathy and a greater sense of responsibility toward neighbors in need.

A Collective Gift of Care

To complete the project, 8th grade leadership seminar students assisted in attaching the more than 120 hand-painted and handwritten note cards to the canvas tote bags. Their contribution tied together the work of all participating grades, turning the efforts into a collective and meaningful gift for Kinship and the Milwaukee community.

“As educators, it’s our responsibility to guide students not only as learners in the classroom, but as compassionate people in the world,” said 3rd Grade Teacher Mary Liz Rogers, the project organizer. “Projects like this help students understand that being a good neighbor matters—that kindness, service, and teamwork can create lasting change. Alone, each child made a meaningful contribution; together, the impact was extraordinary.”

Empathy in Action

This collaboration not only strengthened the connection between the school and Kinship but also empowered students to see themselves as compassionate, capable contributors to the world around them. Through this authentic service experience, students took active steps in becoming the engaged citizens and thoughtful leaders Milwaukee needs.

Many thanks to both Rogers and Gagnier, as well as teachers Emily Ihrke, the director of USM’s ethical leadership program; and Jen Keppler, assistant head of Preschool, as well as all of the Preschool and Lower School teachers who made this project possible this year. Thanks also to the parent volunteers who joined on the field trips and who assisted their children with purchasing and selecting food items to donate. 

Students' work with Kinship Community Food Center supports USM's guiding principle of inclusion, where a recognition of and respect for diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences help students learn to think broadly, critically, and independently.