On Saturday, students at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Milwaukee helped distribute 1,000 meal boxes to families in need just days away from the Christmas holiday.
“Our whole school’s mission—it’s our Jesuit mission—is that we need to serve others and care for others,” said Alexandra Gonzalez-Amaro, a senior at Cristo Rey.
That mission was put into action as she and her classmates braved the cold to pack car after car with boxes of food for families in need.
“For us to do this just shows we are really trying to improve our community and trying our best to at least help those that really need the help,” Gonzalez-Amaro said.
Volunteers spent hours this week packing the boxes with foods like cereal, peanut butter, rice, beans, potatoes, and more.
“With the price of foods going up and the economy, this helps people celebrate Christmas,” said Father Bill Johnson, Cristo Rey Vice President. “It’s a pleasure but I think a responsibility and a way for me and our students to get ready for Christmas.”
It’s also a way for the community to show their gratitude for the kindness of others.
“They feel very blessed and they feel happy,” said Gonzalez-Amaro. “Honestly seeing that warms up my heart as well because I feel like what we’re doing here is actually helping them out and it overjoys them as well.”
Saturday’s distribution was the school’s first school-wide service project initiative. It was made possible in large part to partnerships with Feeding America, Phoenix Investors and the Crivello Family Foundation.
Kurt Jensen is the Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Leasing of Phoenix Investors, a national real estate firm specializing in industrial real estate based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of entrepreneurial, management, and deal-making experience.
Frank P. Crivello is a Milwaukee-based developer and Chairman & Founder of Phoenix Investors.