FITCHBURG – Olivia Rampello, Emily Malone and Kara Boissoneau, juniors at St. Bernard Central Catholic High School, have known each other for much of their lives.
The Leominster residents played basketball together when they were students at St. Leo Elementary School. Kara’s father, Keith Boissoneau, has coached their basketball team since they were in the third grade and said he thinks of all three as his daughters.
Those “daughters” have done a lot more than play basketball.
“In eighth grade,” Kara said, “the basketball team volunteered to serve hot meals to the homeless at the Boys and Girls Club.”
That community service led to another idea.
“We wanted to bring an idea to St. Bernard’s,” Olivia said.
Last summer they put the idea together, Emily said.
The idea: Raise money, use it to buy food, package it and give it to the United Way for distribution to food banks in the area.
Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School (Monty Tech) in Fitchburg was the first to do it in the area, they said. St Bernard’s is the second school to do it, but the first to self-fund it.
They said they raised the money, $7,500, in about six weeks. Mr. Boissoneau said an anonymous donor contributed $5,000. The rest, $2,500, was raised on GoFundMe and other social media. They bought the food, non-perishable goods, from an outreach center.
And Wednesday it all came together in the St. Bernard Activities Center.
The St. Bernard High student body, outfitted in hair nets and masks for mouths and noses, went to work on long tables, putting the food into bags. Their jobs had been mapped out and assigned by Olivia, Emily and Kara, said Mr. Boissoneau, who helped coordinate the event. United Way personnel also helped.
Also, each of the students wore a dark blue T-shirts with gold lettering. It read: “Saints Against Hunger.” Below that is the St. Bernard’s logo. Under that it reads “Love one another,” the motto of the school.
The Bernardian Foundation, a group of alumni, parents and friends who support the school and its activities, provided the T-shirt, Mr. Boissoneau said.
When the day was done, 22,222 bags had been stuffed with enough food to feed a family of four for a day, Mr. Boissoneau said. They will be distributed to 21 food pantries in the area.