Community Service Committee

The Community Service Committee coordinates events for Mundo Verde parents and the local community. We specifically partner with So Other’s Might Eat (SOME), a community organization located directly behind MV, which serves the homeless population of DC. Our annual projects include a bi-annual clothing swap, the Shoebox Project, and a food collection.

The clothing swap is a family favorite where parents bring in used clothing that no longer fits their children, and can swap it for clothing in a different size. Any leftover clothes at the end of the week are donated to SOME. The Shoebox Project and food collection also benefit SOME and are part of the “service” part of EL learning and the ESPCIA curriculum at the school.

The Shoebox Project involves collecting basic necessities and a small toy; MV students decorate the shoeboxes and fill them, after a lesson with their crew leader. SOME then distributes the shoeboxes to their child clients. We conduct our food collection right at the end of the year, before the summer break. We have learned that while most people make food donations over the fall and winter holidays, SOME’s greatest need is over the summer, when their pantry empties out. The Community Service Committee is looking for new volunteers, especially since the current co-chairs have children that will soon age out of Mundo Verde and thus the parents as well. Please contact Alexandra Wisotsky at 202-329-2794 or alwisotsky@aol.com with questions and to volunteer.

Looking for Shoebox Project Volunteers!

The Community Service Committee is seeking volunteers to help run its annual Shoebox Project to benefit So Other’s Might Eat (SOME). The Shoebox Project has become an important part of the “service” part of EL learning and the ESPCIA curriculum at the school, and is run largely by parent volunteers, in conjunction with the school. All grades are involved in the project, and all kids can learn from it! The Shoebox Project involves collecting basic necessities and a small toy; MV students decorate the shoeboxes and fill them, after a lesson with their crew leader. SOME then distributes the shoeboxes to their child clients.

Parent volunteers are needed to help take a weekly inventory of items collected, distribute boxes and materials to teachers, and conduct “quality control” for completed boxes. This project is the biggest one we do all year, and takes weeks to complete. We will take volunteers with any amount of time available to them, between September and early December.

We are especially interested in finding someone (or several people) who would like to learn how to run this project from inception to completion. Mundo Verde has been involved in this important project for several years and has incorporated it into its important ESPICA curriculum. In order for it to continue, we do need parents to help run it – so that it can continue in perpetuity!