Students at St. Joseph the Worker School helped raise funds for a children’s hospital, served food at a local rescue mission, decorated clothes for newborns, and made blankets for animals during National Catholic Schools Week Jan. 28 to Feb. 3.

National Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in America.

Lisa Geosits, director of school advancement at St. Joseph the Worker School, spoke with The Press Feb. 27 about Catholic Schools Week.

“During the week, we held an open house, the students had lunch with their parents, participated in games, served food to the men at the Allentown Rescue Mission, held a crazy sock day, a craft day and dance-a-thon,” she said.

Sheena Kuczynski, a fourth-grade teacher, said the main goal at the school during Catholic Schools Week is to teach about children helping children.

“One of the events we held was a dance-a-thon to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” she said. “Our goal was $2,500 but we raised $6,000.”

Ellen Klabunde, a sixth- to eighth-grade English teacher, commented on the students cooking and serving at the rescue mission.

“We took the seventh- and eighth-grade students to the Parish kitchen where they cut up and cooked chicken, vegetables, salads, and made and decorated cupcakes,” she said. “They also made place mats, Valentine’s Day cards and flower arrangements.”

Klabunde said all the ingredients, such as the chicken, vegetables, rice, butter and spices, were donated by families at school. The table linens were also donated.

“The rest of the school donated all kinds of personal care items, such as wash cloths, body wash, toothpaste and toothbrushes, and the students stuffed them in a pair of socks they distributed to the men at the rescue mission,” she said. “Some of the men received two pairs of socks.”

Klabunde said once the students finished cooking and making everything, they took the food, place mats, flowers arrangement and socks to the Allentown Rescue Mission and served the meal.

“This is our fourth year serving at the rescue mission,” she said.

“I think every year the kids get so much out of it.

“They realize how fortunate they are and can give back.”

Claire Grace, middle school teacher, commented on decorating the newborn onesies and making blankets for the animals.

“Lynn Snyder and I held a craft hope project for the sixth grade,” Grace said. “Every year is a different theme. Our theme this year was animal shelters and babies.”

She said the students and parents came to the school one night from 5-9 p.m. during Catholic Schools Week and made the blankets and dipped dyed the onesies pink or blue.

“This year we made blankets for Hair of the Dog animal shelter in Allentown, Animals in Distress in Coopersburg and the onesies for newborns at Mary’s Shelter in Reading,” Grace said.

The students made the animal blankets out of fleece and tied them.

The the adults sewed the cat blankets out of scraps of fleece.

“We also sold snack bags and the proceeds went to buy dog and cat toys,” Grace said.

Hair of the Dog came to the school on Feb. 22 to accept the blankets and toys for the dogs and they brought rescues for the students to meet.