With the Lenten spirit of reaching out to others, the community of St. Benedict School, Holmdel, is stepping up in several ways to fight hunger.

On March 12, St. Benedict hosted their second annual “Friendship Feast,” a dinner for approximately 200 guests who were in need of a good meal and the companionship of others. Hosted in conjunction with the Knights of Columbus St. Benedict Council 11349 and the parish’s St. Vincent de Paul Society, the dinner had a menu of roast turkey with all the trimmings.

Food for the dinner was donated and prepared by a number of local stores and restaurants, while a local bus company also pitched in to provide transportation to anyone who needed a ride. Students from St. Benedict’s art classes designed placemats for the tables and local Boy Scouts helped to seat guests for the dinner and to serve the food.

Meanwhile, St. Benedict students are also taking part in an eight-week program known as the Feinstein Challenge, which provides donations to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Holmdel.

St. Benedict chose to participate in the challenge upon learning that the food bank, which feeds 2,000 local residents each month, was struggling due to diminishing donations. The pantry has also experienced a 25 percent increase in the demand for services over the previous year.

“The Feinstein Challenge was brought to me by the managers of the food pantry because they have only received $250 in prior years,” said Cathy Warshaw, parish administrator in St. Benedict. “We are working to change that… I know that St. Benedict is up to the challenge.”

Mary Ellen Farrell, a St. Benedict School parent and one of the challenge organizers said, called the program a “win-win” situation for the school community.

“I feel it is a unique opportunity for our children to see firsthand how they can make a positive difference in the lives of others,” she said, adding that many in the community and even other local schools had joined in the program.

“It is a wonderful example of how compassion combined with service to others can shape our world,” Farrell added. “I believe that participation in this challenge can build a stronger community. We will be an example to other communities by demonstrating how we are all partners in the ongoing efforts to fight hunger.  

“In the end, our food pantry will be overflowing, awareness will be raised, and our children will have learned how better to love their neighbor.”