Creekside Elementary students write words of hope and inspiration to go in their packed blessing bags on Wednesday.
Waylon O’Donnell | Daily Journal
Creekside Elementary School students spent Valentine’s Day spreading love and empathy.
For the past seven years, the elementary school’s “blessing bag” initiative has given back to local people in need. The recipients of these bags include local shelters, outreach programs, and community centers. Organizations like ASSIST Indiana, KIC-IT and Grace United Methodist Church have been instrumental in distributing these essential items to those in need, said Alysha Sherry, physical education teacher at Creekside
Sherry piggybacked blessing bags off an idea from her daughter’s youth group. The goal was to start something at the school that would allow the kids to have a “hands-on experience and to understand the value of giving back to their community.”
This year about 500 blessing bags were filled with essential items such as toiletries, along with a personal note from students. Each bag is carefully arranged by students to teach them the value of compassion, Sherry said.
“We grab a bag and then fill it with one thing at a time,” said Dallas Hendershot, a fourth-grader. “It’s cool to see all the things that we get to give people.”
The first blessing bag distributed kicked off around Christmas, but due to the overwhelming demands of the holiday season and ample community fundraisers, Sherry shifted the focus to Valentine’s Day. This time of year was chosen because “Valentine’s Day is all about love,” just like blessing bags spread love in the community, Sherry said.
The project, now in its sixth year on Valentine’s Day, aims to involve every student at Creekside Elementary.
“Every student makes one,” she said. “It’s based on our student population, so the goal this year would probably be about 500 bags.”
Over the years, the project has grown significantly, and delivered “close to 5,000” blessing bags in total to community organizations, Sherry estimated.
With the support of the community, Sherry gathers donations from local businesses and families, which typically include hygiene items and hand warmers. She works with parent-teacher organizations and business owners who are often eager to donate items.
The impact extends beyond providing material goods. Sherry sees it as a valuable lesson in empathy for the students.
“It really is a very good hands-on lesson about empathy, which also piggybacks off our counselors’ lessons,” she said. “The counselor often talks about character traits and words associated with feelings.”
Empathy is often a difficult emotion for kids to comprehend, Sherry said.
“Empathy is trying to walk in someone else’s shoes, but kids don’t really know what that means,” she said. “You don’t have to know someone to offer them help. It’s about being kind to each other, because we’re all humans, and we’re all living in the same community. It’s like a mini-lesson on humanity.”
Students each made a card to include in their blessing bags, granting the kids the opportunity to add some personal words to each donation.
“It makes me feel really good knowing that I am helping someone in need,” said Aftyn Sessanna, a fourth-grader.
At the end of the day, a small team delivered the boxes of blessing bags to various local organizations, ensuring that the effects of the fundraiser continue to thrive beyond Valentine’s Day, Sherry said.
“I am happy that we get to show love to people like this,” said Drew Sherry, a fourth-grader. “There are people that can’t afford many things, so it is nice to help them.”
Sherry looks forward to carrying on this Creekside service project for years to come.
“It’s cool to see these kids that have done this since kindergarten,” she said. “They look forward to it. They understand why we do it, so this is a great project.”
