For the past several years, the Interact Club at Lathrop High has helped in feeding the area homeless.
It’s not just the popular peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that’s being distributed but encouraging messages of hope as thought up from the students, according to Bernadette Ogbeide.
She’s the advisor for the Interact Club, which is part of Rotary International.
This year, LHS chapter has about 89 members who are developing leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self.
Along the lines of Service About Self was part of the sandwich distribution idea initiated about four or five years ago at LHS by Eghosa Ogbeide, who was the club president back then.
She’s also the daughter of the club advisor – ditto that for the current chapter president Godwina Ogbeide, who is Bernadette Ogbeide’s youngest daughter.
The inspirational messages to go with the PB&J sandwiches to the homeless is Eghosa’s legacy.
“She mentioned back then that we, as students, should do something to help (the less fortunate),” said Bernadette Ogbeide, who teaches English and AP Literature at the school.
As for producing the sandwiches, the LHS Interact Club has developed an assembly line while purchasing 100 percent of the items used to help the homeless – from the sandwich spreads and bread, to the plastic utensils and sandwich bags and bottled waters.
All told, 68 club members produced 486 sandwiches in the Culinary Arts classroom during the Sept. 18 distribution at the St. Mary’s Interfaith Dining Room in Stockton.
“We usually just bring the seniors but this year we also had freshmen, sophomores and juniors come along,” said Mrs. Ogbeide, who noted that 30 students were part of the eye-opening experience.
They brought bagged sandwiches containing inspirational words such as “You Can, You Will,” “You Are Loved,” and “You Can Do it,” as examples.
Students came back with a greater appreciation of what they have, Bernadette Ogbeide said.
“They were affected by what they saw, especially homeless families with children and pets,” she added.
