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A community that cares - supporting Ukrainians in need
Students and parents pack rice and bean meals for displaced Ukrainians.

On April 26, Convoy of Hope, an international relief agency, picked up more than 21,000 meals that were assembled by members of the Potomac School community the previous weekend. The relief agency will distribute the rice and bean meals to displaced Ukrainian families throughout border countries. 

This service initiative was organized by Potomac’s Parent Association Service Learning Committee (PASLC) and Upper School students in the school’s Global Perspectives and Citizenship (GPAC) program, who have been studying food insecurity around the world. With events in Ukraine top of mind, the parents and students took action to lead the meal-packing event in partnership with The Outreach Program, a nonprofit organization. 

Potomac’s director of K-12 service learning, ACE Everett, observes, “Our volunteers spoke about feeling a sense of community and purpose in being able to play a small part in addressing the critical needs faced by the Ukrainian people.” She adds, “It was also wonderful for everyone to see the sophomores and juniors from the GPAC program serving as such terrific role models for our community.”

Potomac’s two-year Global Perspectives and Citizenship concentration is a selective program that enables motivated Upper School students to take a deep dive into global issues, ultimately helping them understand the dynamic relationships between communities, cultures, and civilizations worldwide.

“This event is particularly meaningful for those of us in GPAC because we have examined case studies about food insecurity and researched transnational organizations such as NATO and the UN, often seeing things from a statistical perspective. But this event gives us an opportunity to think about the people behind the numbers, the people this food will help,” reflects Ali O’Brien, a junior at The Potomac School.

We thank Potomac parents Kristin Jensen, Katy Moser, and Gretchen Speigel and GPAC students O’Brien, Nuna Endale ’24, Arya Kumar ’23, Madeline Magielnicki ’24, Grace McMiller ’23, Alex Meek ’23, Ayanna Nayar ’24, Clay Turner ’24, and Abigail Woldgebriel ’24 for their leadership. View photos here.

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