Newtown Quaker Meeting Kids Raise $1,076 at Simple Supper for “Diaper Bank”

School teachers don’t always know the impact they are having on their students, but sometimes they find out in a very tangible way.  That’s what Pat Kennedy, former kindergarten and first grade teacher at Newtown Friends School and now President of the Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank, found out in a big way recently from a former kindergarten student of hers, Andrew Fellows of Yardley. 

Each year the elementary school children (grades 1-6) at Newtown Quaker Meeting host some events to raise funds for their “charities of choice” at the Quaker Meetinghouse at 219 Court Street.   The children not only help to decide which charity to support, they help to set up, collect the funds, serve the food, clear the plates and sell desserts.

 The charity selected this year by the young Quakers was The Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank.  They hosted their annual Simple Supper of homemade soups, breads and desserts on Friday evening, November 9, and collected a whopping $1,076 in donations!   

Nikki Loscalzo of Yardley, head of the children’s religious education committee, said, “The children were wonderful!  We always receive plenty of compliments about their service.  They served over 130 meals tonight to generous donors.  I think it’s a great opportunity for our kids to directly contribute to the community and they have a great time while they do it.”

The selection of the Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank as the Quaker children’s charity of choice was recommended by Andrew Fellows, age 11.  The connection began at Newtown Friends School (NFS).  Pat Kennedy says, “It was there (Newtown Friends School) that I learned to help a friend.” 

Andrew Fellows was one of Kennedy’s kindergarten students at Newtown Friends School and decided six years later to try to help his former teacher and her organization.  “When the chance came to propose who would receive the proceeds from our Quaker Meeting Simple Supper this year, I wanted to help the Diaper Bank.  I did some research about diaper banks to find out why they exist, how they work, and why they are so important. Once I had the facts, I had to convince everyone why we should choose the Diaper Bank to support. I’m happy they agreed.”

The Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank collects diapers and distributes them to homeless shelters, food pantries, family service agencies and faith based organizations throughout the region.  The Diaper Bank will use the funds raised by the Quaker kids to buy over 10,000 diapers.

Previous recipients of the funds raised by the children at Newtown Quaker Meeting have been: Mercer Street Friends Center in Trenton, Haiti Relief, Penndel Food Pantry, Save Darfur, Heifer International, Philadelphia Friends Center Green Building Project, and Right Sharing of World Resources, a micro-loan program founded by world Quakers.

Pat Kennedy grew up in Michigan and in 1985 moved to Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters. She graduated from Temple University with a B.S. in education and taught kindergarten and first grade at Newtown Friends School for several years.. “It was at Newtown Friends School,” she said, “that I learned to help a friend.”  And it was a former student of Kennedy’s at Newtown Friends School and a member of Newtown Quaker Meeting, 11-year-old Andrew Fellows, who recommended the Diaper Bank as the recipient of the Quaker Kids  fund-raiser this year.  

Newtown Friends Meeting, co-founded by the Quaker artist and minister, Edward Hicks, in 1815, holds services every First Day (Sunday).  During the school year, First Day classes for children and adults are at 9:45 a.m. and Meeting for Worship at 11:00 a.m. Professional childcare is provided.  All meetings are open to the public and visitors are warmly welcomed.