Mittelstädt Elementary Lend-A-Hand program promotes volunteerism

Mittelstädt Elementary School recently implemented a voluntary community service program called Lend-A-Hand.

The purpose of the program is to increase awareness and involvement in community service projects in the student body.

A list of projects were planned to encourage kids to get active in their community and make a difference.

Among the service projects was the Adopt-A-Grand Friend program, in which local families make bi-weekly visits to senior citizens from the Atria.

The Nike ReUSE a Shoe program recycled old athletic shoes into running tracks, basketball and volleyball courts and playground areas.

The Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) organization contributed to the Lend-A-Hand initiative as well, assisting elderly pet owners and arranging hospital visits and adoptions, when necessary. Mittelstädt Elementary held a Cutest Pet Contest as part of this project to collect pet toys and supplies donations. More than $1,500 in supplies were raised.

Another project was the "We Can" canned food drive to help feed local needy families.

The school also collected and mailed more than 3,300 used greeting cards to the St. Jude’s Ranch Recycled Greeting Cards program.

More than 100 donations of small stuffed animals were made to the patients at Texas Children’s Hospital for the Kindness Critters program.

The Recycle Eyeglass Program was also held. The students collected 258 pairs of glasses and donated them to the Lions Club to redistribute to the community.

The campus also participated in the Ronald McDonald House Pop Tab Collection. Students gathered pull tabs from cans and gave them to the Ronald McDonald House to redeem at a recycling center for cash to benefit hospitalized children.

On Thursdays the Red Shoe Shindig initiative encouraged everyone on campus to wear red shoes in honor of Ronald McDonald.

The final program was Free Rice, which encouraged the student body to play an online game that requires the player to answer multiple-choice questions. For every correct answer, the United Nations World Food Program donates 10 grains of rice to feed the hungry.

For more information about any of these events, call the campus at 832-484-6700.

Mittelstädt Elementary is located at 7525 Kleingreen Lane, Klein.