New Service Partnerships Enrich SMCS Experience
Service to others is a key pillar at St. Michael’s College School (SMCS), with goodness in action at the heart of our community.
Through a variety of service initiatives that support local and broader community organizations and missions, our students have meaningful opportunities to grow in faith and character and to fulfill the call to serve by sharing time and resources. In support of community partners, students are able to engage in rich experiences that deepen their understanding of their neighbourhood, school community, and society.
Over the past school year, SMCS has established two key service partnerships with the Hillcrest Community Food Bank and the North York Harvest Food Bank.
Hillcrest Community Food Bank
In February, SMCS partnered with Hillcrest Community Food Bank to help address growing food insecurity in our local community.
Established in 2023, Hillcrest Community Food Bank is a collaboration between Hillcrest Christian Church, Hillcrest Community School, and the Daily Bread Food Bank. They are located a short walk from SMCS—serving those facing food insecurity in our own backyard.
Norah Higgins, SMCS guidance counsellor and Hillcrest resident, recruited student volunteers to assist in this new partnership, and the response was overwhelming, with more than 50 Grade 10, 11, and 12 students signing up.
Every Friday, five students travelled to Hillcrest Christian Church to supervise and mentor Grades 5-6 Hillcrest Public School students, who worked during their lunch hour counting, sorting, and organizing the food donations. The partnership also included a Sunday commitment from another team of five SMCS students, who served a three-hour shift greeting clients accessing the food bank, helping distribute food, and acting as interpreters when needed.
“Sunday was a blast. It was cool to not only volunteer with some friends but also get to meet new people who were also volunteering,” says Padraic Landry, Grade 11. “The people coming in for food were also very kind, and it was overall a great experience that I would definitely want to take part in again.”
For three months, six SMCS senior students also had the opportunity to work with James Hinebaugh, a community volunteer overseeing the food bank’s tech improvements, to create and optimize system operations for managing the food bank’s volunteer, inventory, and client tracking.
“Our volunteer management team helped in rebuilding the way the food bank handles its weekly sign-ups, including redesigning sign-up forms and creating a master database which automatically sorts volunteers into their correct shifts,” says Yuel Tesfay, Grade 12. “This replaces the old way of manually organizing names, allowing the staff to simply copy and paste accurate schedules directly into their emails.”
The need for the food bank in our community was immediately apparent, with client visits jumping from 50 families to nearly 200 in the first three weeks of opening. Over 50 per cent of the food bank’s clients began accessing food banks in the past year, and 25 per cent of clients are children and youth.
“As members of this community, I am very proud that our SMCS students have committed their time and energy to give back locally to this important initiative,” says Higgins. “In the coming years, our goal is to expand the programme to include food, clothing, books, and toy drives. Many students want to help, and this initiative is a real-life example of ‘Be the Good’ and service in action.”
North York Harvest Food Bank
The roots of the SMCS partnership with North York Harvest trace back to a fall SMCS staff retreat, during which members of our faculty and staff had the opportunity to volunteer at various community service initiatives, including North York Harvest.
“This experience was deeply impactful, as it allowed participants to witness firsthand the realities of food insecurity in Toronto,” says Alessandra Lombardi, SMCS teacher. “Seeing the growing need within our own community reinforced the importance of giving back and highlighted how vital it is to support others in meaningful ways and uphold the dignity of every person.”
Inspired by this experience and through a connection established with North York Harvest Community & Corporate Fundraising Manager, Judith Reda, SMCS developed an opportunity for Grade 12 religious education and morality students to put their learning into action.
Throughout the year, students spent class time exploring key themes such as human dignity, the common good, and solidarity. Visiting the North York Harvest Food Bank allowed them to live out these teachings in a tangible way while also putting their faith into action.
“Students learned that service is not just something we talk about in theology class—it is something we do,” says Lombardi. “This trip and experience taught empathy, responsibility, and the Christian call to act with compassion, love, and service. Students saw how small acts of service—sorting food, organizing donations, offering time—can bring real hope to families. Students recognized that living a virtuous life means putting faith, charity, and justice into action.”
Grade 12 SMCS students embodied the virtue of charity by taking a leadership role in organizing and spearheading a school-wide Lenten Food Drive, rallying the broader school community to contribute to the cause, and through their hands-on work at the warehouse.
The school community collected and donated 1,200 lb. of food to North York Harvest. During their experiential field trip, students helped sort and organize both the food they donated and additional food already at the warehouse, contributing to the processing of an impressive 16,982 lb. of food over two days.
It gave them the opportunity to spearhead a school-wide initiative through a food drive campaign that included video announcements, loading and moving donations, posters, and challenges to encourage the school community to donate.
That sense of responsibility to make a difference extended beyond the walls of the food bank warehouse.
“Volunteering with North York Harvest Food Bank was a great opportunity to put what we learned at St. Michael’s into action,” says Stefan Lukowski, Grade 12. “It gave us the chance to make a difference and begin our journey as St. Michael’s men who change the world through lives of faith, character, and service.”
Real-world encounters with people experiencing food insecurity help SMCS students better understand the importance of compassion, justice, and faith-driven action—it’s rooted in the school’s commitment to experiential education and serving others.
“One of the most impactful moments was when students realized how even an hour of sorting food can make a tangible difference in someone’s life,” adds Lombardi. “I have seen students develop genuine empathy, ask thoughtful questions, and reflect deeply on their responsibility toward others. I have seen students come together to collaborate and work hard for a very important cause.”
The relationship with North York Harvest Food Bank did not end with this experience—many students were inspired to return on their own to continue serving those most vulnerable and to help reinforce the school’s partnership with the food bank.
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