Third Grade Supports Kinship Food Center

Since 2015, 3rd grade students at University School of Milwaukee have partnered with Kinship Community Food Center through a meaningful service-learning project centered on food justice, empathy, and community care. This year, the initiative expanded beyond 3rd grade to include students from prekindergarten through 4th grade, with additional leadership support from 5th graders. This expansion highlights USM’s commitment to nurturing students as learners, leaders, and citizens who engage meaningfully with their Milwaukee community.

Grade-Level Contributions

This year’s Kinship project became a true schoolwide collaboration, with multiple grade levels contributing important pieces to a larger effort centered on service, leadership, and community care.

The project began with prekindergarten and junior kindergarten students, who created vibrant watercolor artwork on notecards. The cards were then passed along to kindergarten students, who added handwritten messages of kindness, encouragement, and unity for Kinship families.

Meanwhile, 3rd graders worked alongside USM PK–8 Academic Technology Coordinator Matthew Gagnier to prepare more than 125 canvas tote bags for Kinship families. A group of 3rd grade students screen printed the bags with Kinship’s beet logo in the Middle School makerspace, creating a guide for the painting process. Using the screen printed logos as a guide, 2nd graders transformed the tote bags into colorful works of art with the help of parent volunteers.

Fifth graders, under the guidance of 5th Grade World Cultural Geography Teacher Hannah Reimer, then helped bring the project together by organizing, hole-punching, and attaching each handwritten notecard to the painted canvas bags. Their careful, behind-the-scenes work helped unite the creativity, kindness, and service of students across several grade levels into one cohesive gift for Kinship families.

In addition to the tote bag project, 1st graders assembled snack bags for the “Kids of Kinship,” packaging a variety of healthy and kid-friendly treats into special gift bags for children visiting the food center.

Third graders also earned money through chores and acts of service to purchase nutritious food donations. During their visit to Kinship Community Food Center, students stocked shelves, organized food items, and learned firsthand how community organizations support neighbors experiencing food insecurity.

Fourth graders will travel to Kinship’s Grow urban farm, where they helped cultivate fresh produce inside hoop houses by pulling weeds and preparing for future plantings, contributing directly to the fresh food distributed through Kinship Community Food Center.

Third Graders’ Service-Learning Journey

Over the course of several weeks, 3rd graders explored the realities faced by individuals and families experiencing hardship, including housing instability, unemployment, isolation, and food insecurity. Through discussions and activities focused on poverty in Milwaukee and the challenges created by food deserts, students developed a deeper understanding of the barriers many community members face.

Students learned about healthful food choices, impactful donation items, and thoughtful shopping practices when purchasing food to donate. These lessons encouraged empathy, responsibility, and a stronger understanding of how individual actions can positively affect a larger community. 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.

“This project gave students authentic opportunities to lead, collaborate, contribute to a shared goal, and serve others,” said 3rd Grade Teacher Mary Liz Rogers, who served as the project organizer. “Each child contributed something important, but together they created an impact far greater than any one individual could accomplish alone. Experiences like this help students understand that citizenship matters—that empathy, service, and teamwork have the power to strengthen an entire community.”

Empathy in Action

These efforts culminate a year of school-wide support of Kinship Community Food Center. During Winter Spirit Week in January, the school hosted a hygiene drive to benefit Kinship. Students and families donated 1,243 pounds of hygiene items, which were what its community needed most urgently at that time. These collaborations empowered students to see themselves as capable and compassionate contributors to their community, and practice leadership, teamwork, and empathy.

Many thanks to Rogers, Gagnier, and Reimer, as well as Mike Tauscher, Head of Preschool and Lower School; Jen Keppler, Assistant Head of Preschool; and all the USM Preschool and Lower School teachers who helped make this project possible. Additional thanks go to the parent volunteers who joined field trips, assisted students in purchasing food donations, and supported the tote bag painting project.

Through their work with Kinship Community Food Center, students experienced firsthand how empathy, collaboration, and service can strengthen a community, reinforcing USM’s commitment to helping students grow as thoughtful learners, compassionate leaders, and engaged citizens.