Volunteer Day at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey

SUMMIT, NJ] – A group of over 130 mentors, mentees, and parents from Student/Partner Alliance, a Summit-based non-profit, volunteered at The Community Food Bank of New on Saturday morning, November 9th. The volunteer day is an annual service event for our students and a great way to show thanks.

Everyone left the Community Food Bank of New Jersey energized and proud of the work that they did. Volunteering at an event like this is a great way for mentors and mentors to connect to form a strong and positive relationship. The Community Food Bank of NJ is the state’s largest anti-hunger and anti-poverty organization.

If you would like to learn more about our program, please contact akent@studentpartneralliance.org.

ABOUT:

Student/Partner Alliance

The mission of Student/Partner Alliance (S/PA) is to support motivated high school students at private high schools in New Jersey’s urban areas of Essex, Hudson and Union counties with tuition assistance and mentoring to increase their chances for college admission and scholarships, and ultimately to lead successful and productive lives.

Research from mentor.org shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to strive and thrive, to attend and engage in school, and to reduce or avoid risky behavior like drug use. In turn, these young people are:

– 55% more likely to be enrolled in college

– 81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities

– 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.

– More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.

Yet, the same research shows that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor. Today, in our community there are so many young people who could benefit from having a mentor outside their family.