Blessings in a Bag
Blessings in a Bag
Ellicottville students assemble care packages to donate to the Genesis House.
Genesis: it’s the origin or creation of something new. Now that the end of 2020 is nearly here, “genesis” - a new beginning - takes on an entirely different meaning, for we are all figuring out a new way of living, communicating, and even learning amidst a global pandemic. For Kristin Rocco, a special education teacher at Ellicottville Central School, COVID-19 has been the catalyst for a brand new learning experience for her students, one that also gives others in the greater community a fresh start.
“When COVID hit, it threw a wrench in many of our life skills activities that we do,” Rocco explained. “I was struggling to figure out how we can provide authentic work and vocational skills for my students in a safe way while following all of the new COVID-19 mandates.”
Rocco, who teaches the only self-contained middle/high school classroom in the district, incorporates service learning each year with her students. During a typical school year, her students work in the cafeteria in various capacities and run a coffee cart, in addition to their academic work. Last year’s community service project involved collecting, organizing, and shelving donations for the Great Valley food pantry.
“Due to the restrictive nature of COVID-19, we can’t do any of these things,” Rocco explained. “It’s hard for my students to understand why we’re not doing the things that we usually did, but we talk about the fact that there are lots of precautions about COVID-19.”
Although most of the district follows a hybrid learning model, Rocco’s students come to school every day, and she was determined to find a meaningful service-learning project for them to participate in this year. Rocco said this year, she and her students have asked district faculty and staff for donations of hygiene products, such as shampoo, soap, and personal care items for “Blessing Bags” to donate to the Genesis House of Olean. The Genesis House provides safe, temporary housing for children, single adults and families, along with nutritious meals, opportunities for medical care, and connections to outside agencies.
“These bags can easily be handed out to clients to help provide what they need during their stay,” Rocco said. “Putting the bags together has helped my students practice a lot of skills, such as sorting, reading labels, and many different executive functioning and vocational skills that we don’t always recognize the importance of being practiced.” Each bag has a tag that states what students should put inside. “They read them like a menu and fill them with what is needed and check the items off,” Rocco added.
So far, Rocco has already dropped off 30 bags to the Genesis House, and she plans to continue the project with her students throughout the school year. “I’m so glad that we were able to do this,” she said. “Overall, it’s a great opportunity for my students to learn about giving back and talk about those who may be in a position of need this year. I’m really passionate about giving my students hands-on, meaningful activities. This is something that students in my program can carry with them into adulthood.”
The response from the Genesis House has been enthusiastic! “The staff there is very thankful,” Rocco noted. “I’m sure they’ve had an influx of need this year, and I’m sure they’ll see that continue.”
Rocco is accepting donations from the community for the blessing bags. While there are restrictions on visitors coming to the school, Rocco is happy to coordinate drop-offs for donations. Those who are interested in donating personal hygiene items can email her at krocco@ecsny.org.
