A call to service.
Service learning at St. Martin's represents an essential part of our overall program and Episcopal identity. All students, from preschool to middle school, are invited to actively engage with the larger world and develop an understanding of the challenges of our local, national, and global communities. Opportunities are numerous and varied and reflect St. Martin's values of Confidence, Compassion, and Character. Through service learning, St. Martin's students:
- practice compassion, awareness, and stewardship
- respect the dignity of all human beings,
- engage civic responsibilities,
- understand challenges from another's perspective,
- develop a lifelong commitment to making a difference, and
- build character and a sense of advocacy
Even with our youngest preschoolers, St. Martin's strives to find ways to have them understand an issue in hopes that both their understanding and their actions will be nurtured over time. By the time students reach 8th grade, they are prepared to purse an Independent Service Learning Project in which they research an issue and develop a framework for action and change.
Specific service learning opportunities include:
Backpack Buddies - Students and parishioners work together to pack backpacks of food to send home to sponsored children to ensure they don't face hunger while away from school for the weekend.
Christmas Mitten Tree - At Christmas time, students collect new mittens, gloves, and scarves for the needy to decorate giving trees in our lobby.
Heifer International - Lower School students explore hunger issues and raise money to support the funding of animals for communities in the developing world. 4th graders also visit Heifer's Global Village in western Maryland.
Holiday Sharing - Students and parishioners donate holiday food collection items to provide a holiday meal to local families in need.
Hospice of the Chesapeake - Student artwork is put on display in the reception spaces at nearby Hospice of the Chesapeake, and middle school students may participate in the "We Honor Veterans" program.
Lighthouse Shelter - Students collect food donations and make bag lunches for the pantry at Lighthouse Shelter in Annapolis.
Operation Christmas Child- Growing in Faith Together (G.I.F.T.) members organize the entire school to fill and wrap shoe boxes with basic necessities, treats and small toys to be delivered overseas.
Sarah's House - Lower School students provide desserts on a regular basis and collect paper products for this local shelter.
SPAN - Students participate in the pantry food collection for the Severna Park Assistance Network.
SPCA - Preschool students learn about issues impacting animals in our community and create treat packs and blankets to donate to Anne Arundel County's SPCA.
Walk the Walk Foundation - Students prepare bags for this foundation that strives to reach the youngest members of our community who face poverty on a daily basis.
Winter Shelter - 8th graders provide a dinner for homeless men who spend a week as guests of the church in during the winter.