50 Ways of Giving: Community Outreach at Villa di Maria

photo credit: Melinda SmithIn honor of Villa di Maria's 50th anniversary, we are committing to engage the students, staff, and parents through the community outreach initiative "50 Ways of Giving."Throughout the calendar year, we will host 50 service projects to serve the needs of underserved populations throughout greater St. Louis, including a wide range of social and economic issues such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy, homelessness, women's health, children's health, lack of resource sustainability, and refugee services.  Our service projects will include ongoing goods drives, fundraising actions, and on- and off-site volunteer work, and will allow every member of our community - from the 2 1/2 year-old student to the 100-year-old grandparent - to participate in a meaningful way.First up: Diaper Drive for St. Louis Area Diaper Bank.Nearly a third of families in our country cannot afford the diapers and training pants they need for their infants and toddlers; nor can they gain access to the discount-supply markets, the online or wholesale retailers that many of us take for granted. Disposable diapers are costing low-income families 14% of their annual income, an average of $936 per child per year.From today until January 31, 2017, we hope to collect 3,000 diapers to give to St. Louis Area Diaper Bank. The greatest need is for the larger sizes: 4, 5 and 6. To make donating easier, we have set up an Amazon wish list. You can buy the diapers and have them shipped directly to us! Just click here.If you'd like your child(ren) to experience the act of donating, please have her/him bring the diapers to school and donate the diapers at drop-off. You may leave the diapers at your drop-off point or in the classroom. Discussing these needs as they arise with your child is a big part of involving them in the process, so we encourage you to have many conversations about those in need and what we can do to help!A tenet of the Montessori program is an emphasis on grace and courtesy. Reaching out and giving back to the community has wide implications not only for our small community, but for society at large.Thank you in advance for your donation; it really does make a difference!