Mustangs band gives back
The Laurel High School Mustangs Marching Band is taking its monthly social activity to an entirely new level by using the social time to give back to the community.
Band members ave been working with the Fayette County Community Action Food Bank to pack supplemental food boxes for senior citizens served by the bank.
Barb Arnold became an active band booster when her son, Phillip, was a freshman drummer. She was asked recently to head the social committee and plan events for students to get together socially.
“Since I love to plan parties and get-together, I jumped at the chance,” said Arnold.
For the band members Arnold planned a swim party, ice cream sundae bar, miniature golf and taco nights, bowling and haunted hayride activities.
“The kids really seemed to enjoy getting together and developing better friendships,” said Arnold.
“I really enjoyed seeing them have a good time but I also felt we should be helping them to be better members of our community.”
So, she suggested the band members undertake a community project.
The group then connected with the food bank, initially taking on a project in assisting to pack the food boxes the food bank provides to more than 900 area senior citizens.
Arnold said she was apprehensive about suggesting the October monthly social event be replaced by one community project but she was presently surprised by the reaction when she put up the sign up sheets for the first time.
“Each sheet was filled.”
In the first 90 minutes of the group’s first night they packed more than 300 boxes with the items used to supplement the pantries of senior citizens including cereal, juices, peanut butter, soup and canned fruits and vegetables.
The experience was so rewarding for the students Arnold said, that they wanted to come back.
When Matthew Nolf said to his fellow band mates, “We could do this every month to help,” it was met with resounding enthusiasm.
The Mustang band members returned to the food bank in November and again packed more than 900 boxes of food for needy area seniors. Due to other commitments, band members were unable to offer assistance to the food bank in December.
However, the group wanted to do something for the organization.
“We decided to use the winter band/choral concert to collect food donations for the food bank,” said Arnold. “In keeping with the holiday spirit Santa accepted the donations in front of the State Theatre as guests entered.”
The group collected 470 pounds of food that night and will eagerly return to the food bank in January to fill the boxes as they roll down the assembly line of the food bank.
Jamie Brink, food bank project manager said the organization depends a great deal on its volunteers and thanked the group for their involvement.
“They came and worked hard. Without the help of these young people packing the boxes we wouldn’t have been able to get them out so quickly,” said Brink.
She added, it was a pleasure to witness younger generation of volunteers take such pride in their efforts.
“We have made a nice bond with them. We are looking forward to working with them again.”