What’s Happened
For the past several weeks, many people have become heroes in their own ways. After the final day of in-person classes for the La Porte Community School Corporation on Friday, March 13, families throughout the district feared being able to feed their kids breakfast and lunch five additional days a week. The local heroes: cafeteria staff, businesses, and volunteers have been giving their time, effort, and food free of charge to anyone in need.
Picking up the food at many of the different elementary schools is as simple as driving into the parking lot where you’re able to get a meal hand-picked and put together by the selfless cafeteria staff who genuinely gain happiness by helping and providing meals to others. So far, they have served over 30,000 meals.
In addition to the staff, Domino’s Pizza has been giving away 200 or more pizzas on certain weekends. The pizzas are also free as charge, and they are hoping to fill hungry community members in a special way---especially with the current global pandemic.
The La Porte Community is incredibly lucky to have such selfless individuals. This is a great way to help the world recover and come together during the COVID – 19 pandemic.
What’s Coming Up
As the world stays on lockdown, there are places around La Porte County that need business to continue to be able to stay open. Every day of the week, Monday through Saturday, there are multiple locations available for free food.
On Mondays, the Food Pantry is located at the Center Township Trustee from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Salvation Army is open from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The St. Joe Catholic Church is open from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Around dinnertime, the Salvation Army opens up from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m for a nighttime Soup Kitchen.
On Tuesdays, the Salvation Army is open from 10 a.m. from 12 p.m. Then, the Salvation Army opens up from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
On Wednesdays, the Food Pantry is open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Center Township Trustee. Then, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. the Pax Center is open.
On Thursdays, the Food Pantry is open from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Pax Center. Then, the Salvation Army is open from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. At night, the Salvation Army is open 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for a Soup Kitchen.
On Fridays, the Food Pantry is open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Center Township Trustee. Then later that evening, the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen is open from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Lastly, on Saturdays, the Food Pantry is open from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Pax Center.
These locations are set to be open throughout the pandemic, and they hope to help those in need of food or toiletries.
Teacher Spotlight
The LPHS Media Center received 3-D printers during the 2016-2017 school year, and they have recently gotten a special use out of them. Despite school being out, librarian Mr. Fettinger branched off into LPHS and decided to put the printers to use the last week of March.
Since the printers started running, they have been going nonstop since March. They have found that it is possible for them to print eight masks a day, and even though the number is small, every mask can make a difference.
Fettinger is set on making these masks for the people who are in need.
“We are going to continue to make them until someone asks us to stop or if something breaks on the printers,” Fettinger said.
Every Thursday at 12 p.m, La Porte Hospital picks up the 3-D printed masks from LPHS.
“In the end, I hope none of the masks are ever used, it just means that La Porte was spared the pain and suffering other communities faced and if they are used I’m glad we were able to protect the people we rely on for our health,” Fettinger said.
Fettinger is yet another selfless soul who is willing to sacrifice his time for those who are in need during desperate times.
Student Spotlight
Day in and day out, the current global pandemic, COVID-19, is talked about, fears are shared, and the importance of covering the mouth and nose are discussed. Junior Justine Talbert decided that it was time for her to take advantage of the free time, and she spent time learning how to sew masks on YouTube.
She dug the sewing machine out and began making masks for the hometown heroes that exist in the medical community.
Talbert has given masks to those in need and plans on continuing to do so, especially for the heroes: nurses, hospitals, nursing homes, police stations, and fire stations. She was set on making an impact on someone in the community, so she made the masks despite the tiredness that sprung upon her.
“With COVID-19 and the time off, I decided that I wanted to do something with my time that gives back to the medical community and the people who would suffer most,” Talbert said. Thanks to special selfless people like Talbert, many of the local heroes no longer have to worry about finding a mask to cover and protect them from COVID-19.
