Sophomore Service Opportunities

On January 28th, February 22nd and February 29th groups of sophomores will have the opportunity to prepare, serve and share dinner at the Open Door Food Pantry in Gloucester.

Interested sophomores should visit the following link to sign up:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bbf5Ajp3PIsPxQx_GZZKLooU2xcAYnZMzb8A5ILwkkY/edit#gid=0

Also, please look here for a short video about the issue of hunger on the North Shore and the role of the Open Door in alleviating it.

Supplies Drive for Northeast Animal Shelter

January 18th to January 29th will be our first supply drive for the Northeast Animal Shelter. Sponsored by Pingree's Animal Rights Club (led by Antonia Martins '18 and Iria Gutierrez-Schieferl '18), the drive seeks to collect much needed supplies for this organization.

The Northeast Animal Shelter is one of New England's largest no-kill shelters. They opened their doors in 1976 and since then have placed over 120,00 dogs. You can learn more about them here: http://www.northeastanimalshelter.org/. 

The Animal Rights Club is collecting the following items, identified by the shelter as their most-needed supplies:

- Paper towels

- Dog and cat toys

- Cloth Towels

- Fleece Blankets

- Trash Bags

- Dog waste bags

- Post-It Notes

Any contribution is much appreciated! Supplies can be donated in boxes (identified by grade) in the Theater lobby. Thank you!

Expectations for Special Olympics Volunteers

All student volunteers who signed up for the morning or all-day shifts should arrive on campus by 7:00AM on Sunday, October 18th. Please wear Pingree gear and sturdy footwear! With very few exceptions, this is a Rain or Shine type of event. Please come dressed for the weather! 


Our expectations of Pingree volunteers:

1. Experience instead of document - please separate yourself from your phone/camera. Be fully present!

2. Engage with our guests. Introduce yourself, ask how you can assist people, get to know your team and that team's fans.

3. Look for opportunities to serve instead of waiting to be asked.

4. Encourage and celebrate!

5. Be conscious of what you are learning while engaging in this activity. See if you can bring some of those lessons back to your family, friends, classes and extracurricular activities.

Backpacks and School supplies still needed!

Thank you to everyone who has generously donated to this year's backpack and school supply drive. During their Community Education time on October 20, the sophomore class will be packing these supplies into backpacks and sending them off to students all over the North Shore.

Last year we were able to collect and stock 45 backpacks, and are hoping to do the same. However, although we have reached our goal of supplies (though more are always welcomed), we are still short backpacks... we need 30 more to meet this year's goal.

Please consider picking one up this weekend (high-quality, inexpensive ones are available at Target, CVS, Walgreens, and WalMart) and dropping it off in the donation bin in the Theater Lobby.

Thank you!

Welcome back!

We have an exciting year ahead of us in the world of service and civic engagement. Already plans are underway to host the Special Olympics (October 18th), and also to welcome Special Olympians back to campus for Concord Day (October 24th). Volunteer sign-ups will be made available to students in the next week.

Sophomores will be packing donating school supplies into backpacks after a visit from Community Giving Tree Executive Director Leslie Levenson -- the drive is still underway! Sophomores also have the opportunity to prepare, serve, and share meals at the Open Door Food Pantry in Gloucester (details soon to come!)

9th graders will soon sign up for their semester-long stewardship assignments. Find out more about this opportunity by clicking on the 9th Grade Stewardship tab above.

Throughout the year, Pingree will also engage in a holiday gift drive for Wellspring House (focusing on teen gifts), a winter Superfood Drive, and a spring rummage sale to raise money for the Purposeful Giving fund.

Please check in regularly for up-to-date information about our ongoing service and civic engagement activities!

Giant Rummage Sale!

On Saturday May 16th, Pingree will host its second annual Giant Rummage Sale in order to raise money for the Purposeful Giving Fund, which awards small grants to students so that they may support organizations of their choice. So far, Purposeful Giving grants have been awarded in support of Windrush Farms, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, The Jimmy Fund, Epilepsy Awareness, and to support an Eagle Scout project. 

Please consider donating items for the sale! We can accept everything except TVs (and other large electronic devices) and mattresses. 

Drop-off runs this week from 7:30-8:00AM, and 3:30-5:00PM. Please bring your donations to the Roosevelt Barn, located half-way up the last driveway on the left as you leave campus.

Any questions, please call Anna McCoy at extension 365. Thank you! 

Pingree launches a new summer service opportunity!

This August 16-21, eight Pingree students will have the opportunity to take part in a Pingree pilot program called Live-Serve-Learn-Play in beautiful Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Modeled after our trip to the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, this program immerses students in the the culture and community of the place where they will be performing service. This is based on service-learning best practices that state that meaningful service requires knowledge of the community that comes best through immersion.

Accompanied by chaperones, students will live in a home on Stacy Boulevard. Each morning they will travel in pairs to a service site, where they will have the opportunity to interact and network with both the staff and clients of that particular organization. Afternoons will be spent learning from the experts - marine biologists, fishermen, historians, artists - about the community of Gloucester. These hands-on learning experiences include studio demonstrations and workshops, whale watching, tide-pooling, and much more. Evenings will allow for play time, whether kayaking to Ten Pound Island, taking in an outdoor concert at Stage Fort Park, or biking to Good Harbor Beach.

We are very excited about this offering - please explore the Live-Serve-Learn-Play link above for more information.