Our focus for the third trimester is local & international.  Locally, we will work to support Food Share and The Society of St. Vincent de Paul.  When our fifth grade students visit Food Share later this trimester, they will bring our donation of at least 30 pounds of non-perishable food items collected by each of our classes.   Our teachers have seen much of the good work done by The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and we want our students to learn about and support this effort.  On the website http://www.svdpusa.org I found this important part of their Mission Statement. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul offers tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. It is this personalized involvement that makes the work of the Society unique. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or often through direct dollar or in-kind service. An essential precept of the Society’s work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served. The Society recognizes that it must assume, also, a role of advocacy for those who are defenseless or voiceless. Some 12 million persons are helped annually by Vincentians in the United States.  Last week, Sacred Heart School families, organized by members of The PTC Board, hosted Lenten Soup and with the generous donations of time and talent we donated $225 to the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Internationally, we plan to send a donation supporting education in The Philippines, a need discovered last year by our eighth grade students as part of their social justice projects.  The Leadership Committee will look for ways to raise money for these projects throughout the third trimester.