Christian school students pack meals, learn leadership lessons this Thanksgiving

For Marshalltown Christian School (MCS) students, this year’s Thanksgiving festivities included an opportunity to serve their community in a tangible way. Last week, students from the school helped put together food packages for their local town’s Emergency Food Box.

Located in Marshalltown, Iowa, MCS has been helping with the program since 2018. This year, the school put together packages equal to roughly 5,000 meals to help families in need.

This lesson in giving back doubled as a leadership opportunity for students as well, with younger students paired with older students to guide them in the process. Every class was split in half so that every grade would have a chance to make an equal contribution. 

“Part of our mission is to prepare students for service and leadership,” said MCS Director Bethany Wirin, “so even in how we arranged kids around the table, we put leaders next to those who would need more help.” Students rotated through hour-long shifts to make sure each one received an opportunity to serve.

Wirin also expressed a desire to expand the event’s impact internationally, stating, “We have several students from the Chin State in Burma, and we would love to see if maybe next year or in a future year we could send meals over there.”

MCS exists to “Glorify God through Biblical, Christ-centered education, providing academic excellence, and preparing students for service and leadership.” The school started in 2006 in a living room with ten students and has grown to just over seventy students since.

Multiple local churches stepped up and made the event possible by providing sponsorship. Members of the community also helped by donating time and picking up supplies in nearby Des Moines.