At St. Peter School in Cambridge, generosity moves, literally, down the hallway.
Students formed a human chain, passing parcels from one set of hands to the next. Inside those parcels is food, clothing and other essentials for neighbors in need. The effort supports the Harvard Square Churches Meals Program, and along with those parcels, students are passing along care and a sense of responsibility to their community.
This story came to us through a voicemail nomination from a Joy Beat listener, who saw the impact of “Pass the Parcels” firsthand. Two of the school’s leaders behind the work, service learning coordinator and music teacher Andrea Gaudette and school principal Dr. Evan Kristiansen, joined GBH’s All Things Considered host Arun Rath to share more for this week’s Joy Beat. What follows is a lightly edited transcript of their conversation.
Arun Rath: Andrea, let’s start with you. Bring us into that hallway. What does it look and feel like when those students come together to help those in need?
Andrea Gaudette: There is just joy ringing through the hallways when this is going on. The children have been collecting different items for a few months now. They even had a talent show where the price of admission was a can of food. They’ve been literally putting items in bags, making sure that they’re not too heavy for the youngest, making sure everything looks nice and is acceptable to give to our neighbors.
I love that our oldest and our youngest work together, so there’s a real sense of community.
Rath: Evan, what is the range of ages there, from the youngest to the oldest? What strikes you when you watch these students of all different ages taking part in this?
Evan Kristiansen: We have students here at the school all the way from age 4 when they begin in the fall, all the way up to grade eight, so 14-year-old students. As Andrea said, the collaboration between the students is one of the things that strikes me, and the joy that they take in doing the service just for the sake of service.
You know, they’re not getting credit for this. They’re not getting class points for this. They’re doing this because it’s what we teach is the right thing to do, and what they believe is the right thing to do.
Rath: Let’s go back to the beginning. How did Pass the Parcels first come together? What made you want to do it again, now, for the third time?
Gaudette: I’m a parent in Cambridge as well — my daughter’s old now — but I witnessed our children go through Harvard Square every day, and they see people asking for money. Children have a lot of questions about that, and I wanted to make sure that they understood that all people are loved and deserve love — just that simple, simple equation.
We show God our love by loving one another, especially the most vulnerable. Catholics talk about charity, and charity is sharing time, talent or treasure. Children don’t have any treasure. They need to share their time and their talents.
So, when we started to form this relationship with Harvard Square Churches Meals Program, I had to think outside of the box. How can I make this visceral for the children? Instead of saying, “Mom and Dad, go buy some food and bring it in and give it to my teacher.” I didn’t think that was giving them the sense of compassion that was needed, and the sense of responsibility that was needed. That’s what led to the line.
Kristiansen: I might add, also, Arun, that this is a sort of extension of a collaboration between St. Peter Parish and the Harvard Square Churches Meals Program. St. Peter Parish has been working with the Harvard Square Churches Meals Program for a number of years, sending volunteers to their Thursday night meal — something that both the parish and the meals program really enjoy. Our participation in this is an extension of the parish’s work as well.
Rath: You know, as you were talking about taking kids through Harvard Square and seeing people in need, it struck me that, as you’re talking about talents, one of the talents of young people is that kind of moral clarity — asking those questions of, why aren’t we helping that person?
Gaudette: Exactly. Our students are very aware that in our world, things are not fair. Children really want to do the right thing. They have a strong sense of justice. I’m just happy that I’m able to facilitate their compassion.
Rath: How has the event grown or developed from the first time to now?
Gaudette: Every year, it seems like we’re getting more donations. Every year, the children, I feel, look forward to this day where they’re able to come together and look in the bags and at things and say, “Oh, I love mac and cheese! Someone else is going to get mac and cheese!” That’s a great thing.
Kristiansen: We were also very glad to see the parents’ support this year. We had quite a lot of parent volunteers who came in to help. That was primarily in anticipation of doing this outside. Unfortunately, the weather required us to do it inside, but we did have quite a lot of parents come to help and drive the donations down to the meals program when we were done.
Rath: Tell us more about those students’ and parents’ reactions.
Gaudette: There’s a strong sense of pride in our school, that we are a kind place, and we want to do kind things for one another. It runs through the culture of St. Peter School, and I think the parents really sense that, and I believe that they want to be a part of this great stuff that’s going on. It was very joyous — that sums it all up.
Rath: Finally, this question is for both of you. This segment is called the Joy Beat, and I do know from being brought up Christian that joy means something very particular in the Christian tradition. I wonder if you could talk about that — the joyful moments you’ve experienced in that context with us — and maybe explain to people what it means.
Kristiansen: I think I’d be happy to say that in the Christian tradition, joy is not quite the same as happiness. We would say it’s a profound and sort of lasting sense of contentment, or, I guess, delight, that’s produced by the fact that we have confidence in our forgiveness from God and in our destination to heaven.
The reason why this is such a mark of Christian life is because joy of this kind can’t be kept inside. It has to be spread to others, and [this event] is one of the ways that we hope we’re spreading joy to our community, by helping those around us who need our help.
Gaudette: To me, personally, I find joy in my closeness to God, and I feel closest to God when I am giving of myself to others. That’s where I find that transcending sense of contentment and oneness with people around me, with God, and with the universe. Things are aligned when we do great things for each other.
If you’d like to make a nomination for the Joy Beat, leave us a voicemail at (617) 300-BEAT [2328].
