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Times-shamrock communiTy newspapers 149 Penn Avenue Scranton, PA 18503 Phone: (570) 207-3473 Fax: (570) 207-3448 E-mail: triborobanner@ timesshamrock.com
October 8, 2015
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Building a ‘Gift Ark’
ON THE INSIDE The latest happenings in our area Page 2
BANNER
Church youth group raising funds for learning journey by Tucker Hottes
Special to the Triboro Banner
Charitable gifts don’t always take the form of cash — the Moosic Presbyterian Church Youth Group aims to learn that firsthand with a summer 2016 trip to Rutland, Massachusettes, to visit the Heifer International farm. The group has already raised $5,000 in donations for a “Gift Ark” through the program. A rummage sale at the church will help raise funds to send members of the group for a firsthand experience of the impact charitable gifts can have. Food and baked goods will also be available at the rummage sale, which takes place Friday, Oct. 9, 4-7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Heifer International works with communities in the United States and around the globe to provide education on sustainable resources. Roslyn Yackobowitz, one of the leaders of the youth group, said the group felt Heifer International was a great cause. “We have a very active youth group in our church,” she said. “A few years ago, we decided to start raising money for Heifer International, which is a worldwide program. We donate a Gift Ark, which includes several pairs of animals — depending on where it goes, it could be two oxen, two cows, two chickens, two sheep.” Gift Ark communities receive male and female animals, as well as instructional material and support on livestock husbandry. The goal is to teach people to support themselves with food and the economic benefits of working with the animals. Once livestock produce offspring, families are asked to pass along the gift to help uplift the entire community. The youth group, composed of sixth- to 12thgraders from Moosic Presbyterian, as well as other congregations and communities, plan to travel to the Heifer International farm in August of 2016. There they’ll learn about the importance of sustainable farming in communities across the globe. Group leader Lynn Kokinda traveled to the Heifer International farm with the youth group’s first trip approximately 14 years ago.
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A young volunteer holds up a carrot from the main garden at Overlook Farm, to show volunteer Elizabeth Joseph (right). Members of the Moosic Presbyterian Church Youth Group hope to raise enough funds to travel to the farm next year.
“They give you instructions and teach you what it’s like in other places,” she said. “One of the aspects is an educational component where you realize where the population of the world is and where the food is. You see the difference between where the source of the food is — it really hits the kids to see how important the project is.” In addition to basic education, Heifer International provides a hands-on experience for visitors. “It’s like a global village — they divide the farm into different continents,” said Kokinda. “You have the option to have any kind of experience you want — last time, some of us slept in a treehouse, some were in a hut, or you can stay in the cabins. You have limited food with which to make your meals, so you learn what it’s like to live on beans that are smashed and have very few spices. It’s good for the kids to learn this is all a meal is for some people. They realize how important what they’re doing will be for some families.” This kind of closeness to the project allows youth group members to realize charity goes beyond simple fundraising, according to Yackobowitz. “It’ll be a hands-on experience for the kids,”
she said. “I think that’s what really connects them to it — it’s a great thing to raise the money and hand over the check, but I think going to the farm will really make the connection to them.” Kokinda added that events like this can inspire a lifetime love of service to the community. “We’re a small group,” she said. “For us to raise that kind of money is really something. To me, when you teach kids to give — and not all of them necessarily have the money to give, or the clothes to give, but they can give their time and effort working — they’re learning twice as much. It’s not always about money, it’s charity work and if you could get more kids involved in that, it can help their self-esteem. When you do for others, you feel good about yourself. From doing this, they’ll think ‘wow, let’s do another project! Let’s help someone else out, what else can we do?’ That, to me, is what the world is all about.” Other upcoming events for the Moosic Presbyterian Church include the pasta dinner on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6-9 p.m. (takeout orders will be available 4-5 p.m.) Tickets are $9 and will be available at the door.