Sharing Bounty with Santo's Littlest Ones
Christina Moynihan with children from the neighborhood.
Christina Moynihan, wife of THP President Deacon Patrick Moynihan, has always had a heart for serving children. While her husband focuses on Louverture Cleary School, Christina makes community outreach outside the gates her main priority. Here at LCS, a lot of effort and resources are put into our students; Christina continues to remind the school leadership how this effort must be partnered with giving back to the surrounding community.
In late August of this year, Christina launched a successful and growing lunch program for the neighborhood children. In the past few months, the meal program has grown to serve over 40 children with a hot lunch, structured games, etiquette classes, art and reading classes, and movies for fun. Patrick Damus, a 2006 LCS graduate and now a member of the school’s Junior Staff, is helping to direct the program under Christina’s guidance.
Monday through Friday, LCS students and staff give a portion of their lunch to be used in the meal program. Talented as the school cooks are with portions, they can’t always gauge how hungry everyone is. So by asking staff and students to take only what they need, the cooks have been very helpful in encouraging everyone to set aside a portion of the lunchtime meal for the children of the neighborhood. On some days, students donate their loose change so that juice can be prepared for the children as well.
At 2 p.m., the neighborhood children form two lines outside the gate of the school, one of boys and one of girls, with the smallest children in the front. They file in quietly, so as not to disturb LCS students in class, and stand around tables in the school cafeteria with their hands reverently covering their eyes (a local custom) to pray. The children pray loudly and enthusiastically before they eat every day. Christina Moynihan, Patrick Damus, LCS students, and the Volunteers help to distribute a plate of food, a cup of juice or water, and a spoon to each child. Some of the older neighborhood children help to clean up after their lunch is finished, and then the children re-form their lines to move to whatever post-lunch activity is planned for the day.
Most days, the children play on the school playground, which they enjoy greatly. The younger children love games like “Duck, Duck, Goose” and “Simon Says.” The older children enjoy pick-up games of soccer, basketball, or kickball. One day a week, Patrick Damus teaches etiquette classes for the children where they learn about manners and proper behavior. Thursdays are often movie days, which the children love. The movies are projected on the cafeteria wall, and the beautiful sound of children’s laughter can be heard across campus as the children enjoy Bambi, Shrek, and other selected videos.
LCS students view the program as an essential part of the work they do to help rebuild Haiti. In various classes, students are asked to discuss the motto of the school which is Matthew 10:8 “What you receive as a gift, you must give as a gift.” Our students recognize that they have been given a free education, and they are eager to do whatever they can to give back to their community. When asked what impact the meal program has on LCS students, Christina Moynihan replied, “The students are able to give back not just the education they have received here at LCS but also a portion of their food each day to their neighbors.” Thanks to Christina’s hard work on the meal program, dozens of LCS students are able to give back by serving the children of Santo 5 each week.
