(Courtesy/Ms. Bening & Ela K.)
(Courtesy/Ms. Bening)
Hosting its annual Night-In, an evening dedicated to organizing and packaging food donations for local families in need, Service Board worked with over 30 students and several faculty members in the Barton Room and its lobby for an evening of teamwork and service on Thursday, November 6, from 6to 9 p.m.
Participants enjoyed pizza and snacks before Service Board’s leaders outlined the evening’s tasks and divided volunteers into groups, each of which had a specific responsibility for the ultimate goal of preparing over 180 boxes of food for 30 families across the Childhood League and Royal Manor communities. Some students sorted and labeled boxes, others checked expiration dates and repacked fragile glass items, while another team arranged a “store” of categorized goods for easy distribution. Every can, bag, and box represented a small but significant contribution toward helping families access nutritious meals during the holidays.
Halfway through the evening, everyone gathered in the Dining Hall to hear from Dr. Amy Headings, a Mid-Ohio Food Collective nutritionist, who spoke about the critical role of providing healthy, high-quality food for families experiencing food insecurity, emphasizing how nutrition directly affects long-term well-being.
After Heading’s talk, volunteers returned to their stations to clean up and complete the finishing touches. By the end of the night, rows of neatly stacked packages lined the Barton Room and were labeled and ready for delivery—a visible reminder of what collective effort can accomplish. Shaper Katie N. says, “We accomplished what weeks of hard work for an individual person would be in just a few hours as a community. “
Behind the scenes, team leaders met multiple times to assign roles and organize supplies well in advance of the event. Other volunteers helped set up tables and collection areas in the Barton Room the day before. Every detail, from label sheets to pizza delivery, was coordinated to ensure the night ran smoothly.
What began as a few hours of sorting and labeling turned into a deeper lesson about community, empathy, and the importance of quality nutrition for all. Night-In, once again, reminded the Academy community that even small acts of service, done together, can have a lasting impact.
