In the summer of 2017, a couple members of the school’s Semper Fi club came across the New York Riders (a motorcycle organization) moving food into the St. Andrew’s Church. They offered to help, befriended the volunteers, and brought up the issue at the club’s first meeting. Scott and Erik Jacobsen recruited some of their friends to help the church with its food deliveries, which became an instant tradition for the Semper Fi club.

We leave school once a month to help the church members move food into their food pantry, often with the aid of the New York Riders. First, we unload boxes from the delivery truck, and then they are brought down into the basement to be sorted and organized. The work can be tiring, especially when trying to get down an old, narrow flight of stairs. But it’s all worth our while to see the church members so happy and grateful for our help.

Another cherished tradition in the Semper Fi club is the Bob Palmer Project. Bob Palmer, who unfortunately passed away last year, was a WWII veteran determined to honor his fallen brothers and sisters. He founded the Bob Palmer Project, which is an organization dedicated to cleaning and placing flags on the graves of veterans in preparation for Memorial Day. This Saturday, April 27th, will be the first time Bob Palmer is not around for the event. Many of the Semper Fi members will be in attendance, and any other interested people are welcome to join. The project will be at the Milltown Cemetery at 9 AM, and at the St. Lawrence Cemetery at 1 PM.