The Spirit of Giving tradition has gone on for 25 years here at Lincoln. It gives students/clubs and staff the opportunity to donate food and household items to other families in need.  The tradition began with Ms. Zamora, classes and clubs would adopt families in need. Lincoln Staff is notified/reminded to donate, and therefore can refer a family, or adopt a family, along with their class if they wish, and donate to the general public in need.

Ms. Phillips, Lincoln’s activities director, has been working with the Spirit of Giving for 17 years, and just last year was her first year coordinating it, along with Mr. Mora, who has been working with it for 5 years now, but has also worked with the program multiple years. According to Ms. Phillips, “prior to last year, it was not held for a few years,” and last year Ms. Phillips had asked if the tradition was going to be upheld that year. Ms. Phillips said, “with some guidance from Ms. Zamora, and the help of Mr. Mora, we did.  We kept it very similar to how she had run it all those years, with some minor changes.”

These changes allowed participants to donate to the public, rather than specifically “adopting” a family. Ms. Phillips also informed that, for the first time, the program hung grocery bags and flyers on people’s doors, requesting a donation. It had been very successful. They had collected over 300 grocery bags!

Last year, in all, 21 families had been served by the Spirit of Giving.

“In previous years, it has varied but always more than 10 per year,” says Ms. Phillips. Lion Tales asked her a few questions about her and Mr. Mora’s experiences with the tradition, this is what she said. 

LT: What is your motivation for helping these families?

 “Mr. Mora and I both have a personal motivation that stems from our faith… but we also feel that it is our duty as staff at Lincoln to do what we can to help those we teach.  It’s not just about academics.  It’s about the person as a whole and what we can do to show them that their Lincoln community cares for them.  It’s about doing right!  It is not about us, what we donate, how much, or how long we are here packing boxes… it’s about the families being served and the impact it has on them. This is a Lincoln effort… no one person can do all of it.  Staff and students come together to serve others.  The only attention given should be focused on the families that are on the receiving end.”

 LT: What’s your favorite memory/story helping the families?

 “Hard to pick just one.  All of the families are overwhelmed with gratitude, and every one of them has a very special story that can easily put things into perspective for a lot of us.  There have been a lot of joyful tears.  What we collect is more than any family ever expects.  I would say one of my personal favorites was one instance, a student who’s family had been referred insisted on giving to the Spirit of Giving Campaign through one of her classes.  She was not aware that her family was on our list, yet she was so generous and gave all of what she could to help those in need.  That is the best part, when someone who is being served is doing all they can to serve others.”

 The items are distributed throughout the last two weeks before the winter break. Families are always notified before receiving any donations, so they are not taken by surprise, and have the option to decline. It’s not too late to donate, you have until December 18th to help a family in need. 

Update 12/18/15:

So far this year’s Spirit of Giving campaign has been a success. Over one hundred gift cards for Safeway, Food Maxx, and several other food stores were donated to the cause, and some of the families are receiving extra items due to the amount Lincoln staff and students have given. On December 17, 2015 four out of the 12 families had their items delivered to them, and the rest of the families will be getting their items delivered on the upcoming days. However, because everything is confidential we will not be able to share information on who the students and their families who are receiving help. Therefore, if you believe you are in need of a little extra help, talk to a teacher or a counselor, because the families are referred by staff. If you do not need any help, and are willing to help out then you could donate items all year round.

To provide a little extra help Ms. Phillips is planning to hold a clothes drive in the art gallery where students will be able to donate/receive new and gently used clothing throughout the year!

While speaking with Ms.Phillips she informed us about some of the issues the students go through and their current situations. Some of the students have lived in shelters, and some even live in their cars. Although you may not be aware that the students in our school have to deal with these issues on a daily basis, we should consider helping out, because you do not know whether the student sitting right next to you needs help.