CCS students give back at Second Harvest
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Concord Christian School middle and high school criminal justice students, from left, Leah Buhl, Liv Nielson, MiKayla Tyler, Cora Grudl, Lawson Hageman, Tiffany Ortez, Kate Butler and Lydia Smith fill 9.7-ounce bags with cereal at Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee’s clean room. - Photo submitted
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Concord Christian School students who volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank included, front row in a split, Liv Nielson, from left, and instructor Brandon Burley (kneeling); first row standing, Justice Phillips, Leah Buhl, Lydia Smith and Cora Gruidl; second row, Savannah Jarnigan, Lawson Hageman, Mikyla Tyler, Tiffany Ortez and Kate Butler; back row, Austin Burley, Eli Blackburn, Weston Ebnet and Cody Hamill. - Photo submitted
Concord Christian School’s middle and high school criminal justice students learned about giving back at Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee in Maryville, Tuesday, Feb. 17.
“I took 20 middle and high school students, along with two staff members, to volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee,” said Brandon Burley, criminal justice instructor and family group leader at CCS. “Our group includes members of the Criminal Justice Society [middle school] and students from the Justice Leadership Academy [high school].
“During our shift in the food bank’s clean room, we repackaged several hundred pounds of bulk cereal into 9.7-ounce bags for distribution to families across East Tennessee,” Burley said. “In one afternoon, our group of 22 provided 88 total volunteer hours.”
“It makes me realize people in our own community are struggling more than we think,” seventh-grader Kate Butler said.
“This visit is part of our program’s focus on civic responsibility and service,” Burley explained.
“I didn’t know the difference between a food bank and a food pantry,” 10th-grader Savannah Jarnagin said. “Seeing how this works behind the scenes changed that.”
“They were also surprised to learn how large of a region Second Harvest of East Tennessee serves and how many families across our area rely on food assistance each week,” Burley said.
“Before today, I didn’t know how many counties Second Harvest serves,” seventh-grader Lydia Smith said. “I thought it was just Knoxville.”
Additionally, “the experience gave them a clearer understanding of food insecurity in our own region,” Burly said.
“As a retired detective, I remind students that criminal justice is about far more than arrests,” he added. “It is about understanding the community you serve and finding ways to strengthen it.”
