City Connect supports students in many ways. For some, that support takes the form of an after school acting class. For others, it’s a free eye exam.
For students at East Boston Central Catholic School, it can also come in the form of a sandwich.
Earlier this school year, EBCCS Coordinator Kristen Mahoney saw an opportunity to connect her students with the East Boston Community Soup Kitchen. Through this partnership, Mahoney was able to empower her students to learn valuable skills and values while helping their community.
“This partnership ties to City Connect’s mission in several ways,” Mahoney said. “It provides students with the opportunity to develop empathy, compassion, and a sense of responsibility.
“It also helps students build essential life skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving, all while strengthening their connection to our local community. This experience contributes to the students’ development across multiple domains, which is at the heart of City Connects’ whole-child approach.”
A common addition to each food bag is a sandwich. Some of the sandwiches feature ham, whereas others, in consideration of community members who don’t eat pork, feature turkey. The students have gravitated to the collaboration necessary to produce large quantities.
Every Monday morning, approximately 40 students from EBCCS volunteer to prepare free snack bags for community members. The Kitchen serves over 600 people weekly. Through this service opportunity, Mahoney has already observed an impact on her students.
“The teamwork element of it has been great,” she said. “They’re with their peers from their [on-campus cohort]. They’re building camaraderie.”
“They’ll be in a line passing things down,” said Mahoney, who noted that some students will be in charge of applying a condiment such as mustard, while others will be in charge of different toppings. “They’re getting more confident with it. They get right to work now.”
When asked about what inspired her to work with City Connects and the students of EBCCS, Mahoney said, “I have always been passionate about working with kids and helping them grow and overcome barriers. My sister has Down syndrome, and from a young age, I’ve been committed to fostering an inclusive, loving environment for her and others with disabilities. This experience has shaped my drive to support students’ diverse learning needs.”
Mahoney, who completed her graduate studies in school counseling at Boston College, supervises the rotating cohorts of sandwich artists two Monday mornings per month. EBCCS’s principal, Robert Casaletto, supervises them on the other two Mondays, a testament to the school’s close-knit atmosphere. The students commute from parts of Boston, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, and other nearby towns.
“Families are committed to having their students attend this school,” Jillian O’Neil, City Connects’ Senior Manager of Coaching and School Partnerships, said. “[The faculty and staff members] are preparing students for high school and beyond to serve others.”
Last school year, EBCCS was one of 16 Boston Catholic Schools with the City Connects model. These campuses span a wide geographical area in and around Boston, including Brockton, Brighton, Dorchester, Everett, Framingham, Lowell, Lynn, Lawrence, Malden, Milton, Revere, Roxbury, and Somerville. During the 2023-24 school year, City Connects served 4,101 students in these schools, providing them with 26,595 services and enrichment opportunities.
EBCCS has partnered with City Connects since 2008 and currently enrolls 202 students, ranging from pre-K to eighth grade. The school’s student body is 65 percent Hispanic. More than 80 percent of EBCCS’s students receive financial aid, while more than half qualify for free or reduced lunch.
“EBCCS’s mission includes fostering the growth of individual self-worth, developing a love and commitment to faith, and developing a commitment of service to others,” Mahoney said. “The soup kitchen partnership brings all of those values to life. It allows students to put their faith into action by serving those in need.”
