The familiar fragrance of homemade soup drifted through the halls of Cinnaminson Middle School after classes on Feb. 12. The source of the smell was the cafeteria, where members of Unity Club and adult volunteers served soup to the senior citizens in the township.
Led by middle school Unity Club advisors Melissa DeClementi and Alison Palat, the CMS Senior Citizen Soup Supper has grown throughout its 11-year tenure. According to DeClementi, many guests look forward to the event, and those who can’t make it can call ahead to make sure they’ll be on the list for next year.
“We just wanted to do something nice for the community to give back,” said Palat. “It’s the basis of Unity Club. A lot of them have lived here for a long time, so it’s nice just to give them back something.
“They do a lot.”
While in the words of DeClementi the senior citizens seem to just keep coming back, the annual event also has turned into something to look forward to for participating students as well as guests.
According to Palat, some club members have asked to invite their own grandparents, even if they don’t live in Cinnaminson. And since students have to be in the program for at least two years before they participate in the soup supper, Unity Club has seen an increase in the amount of younger students involved.
“This yearly soup supper event is basically an opportunity to give back and have a place for senior citizens, who may not go out as much, to socialize and have a nice meal,” said club member Samantha Keeports.
“The first time I did this, I worked drinks, and it was really fun just giving them out and talking to people and making them happy.”
“Just getting to see their smiles and by giving our time to serve them, it’s just fun. I see a lot of similar faces each year,” said member Kira Del Grippo.
“They always look forward to this and they talk about it all the time from when we have the breakfast events and dinners earlier in the year. They really look forward to it and we love talking to them.”
Since the event landed during kindness week this year, Cinnaminson added a new wrinkle to the festivities. While the goal of Unity Club is to teach and reinforce character, all of the supper volunteers wore shirts that stated “Be the I in Kind.”
According to DeClementi, it’s just another way to continue the middle school’s Character Strong, Pirate Proud Initiative.
