FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
Neighbors take note of girl's food drive efforts
BY SUZANNE LOUDAMY Staff writer

Kamryn York displays the letters she received from neighbors in response to her food drive efforts on behalf of Higgins Intermediate.

A great deal can be learned at school and even more can be learned from the students themselves. Many of the students at Higgins Intermediate in Whitehouse did their part and more to make this a record-breaking year when it came to the canned food collection for Project Joy. There is one particular student who took an even further step out of her way to help the cause. Her name is Kamryn York.

York is a 10-year-old fourth-grader who has taken her Sunday School lessons to heart and brought them along with her to school and beyond.

York says that she learned about giving to those who are hungry from the Bible, and she believes that it is everyone's job to help.

When the classes started collecting canned food for the Project Joy effort, York thought she could do more than just bring a few cans from her mother's pantry. She composed a note to her neighbors in Williamsburg Village. The note encouraged her neighbors to place any canned goods they could spare in a plastic bag and place them by their mailbox. York promised to be by on Dec. 4 to pick them up. She closed her note with this: "Thank you so much for helping me…help others!"

Higgins Intermediate students box up the canned food they collected which goes to needy local families.

Not only did her plea yield lots of cans of food, but it also brought a pat on the back to this devoted worker.

"God bless you and keep up the good work," said William's note to York. "Merry Christmas to you too!"

The Blankenships wrote, "Dear Kamryn, your parents must be very proud to have a child as thoughtful and considerate as you. Your effort alone should make this food drive a success."

"Hi Kamryn - We are Don and Maxine Sears and we moved into Williamsburg Village earlier this year. It looked like a nice neighborhood with a lot of nice people like you!

"So thank you for the thoughtfulness and caring that you and your classmates at Whitehouse Intermediate are demonstrating at this holiday season - helping others is something Jesus himself was always doing. The Bible tells us in Phil. 2: 4-5… 'You should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

"So thank you again for all you are doing and giving us and others the chance to be a small part - your efforts inspired us to be more giving than we might otherwise have been. That's pretty much the way kindness works - your school and class decided to give, we decided to give and who knows what those that you help may be do as a result of this spirit.

"Isn't it fun to be a giver and enjoy the neat feeling that comes your way?

"Merry Christmas."

York says she never expected this kind of response from her neighbors.

"It's just something I thought would help and I enjoy helping others," York said. "Our whole family likes helping where we can."

York's mom and dad, Candace and Kevin, and her 16- year-old brother Colton will, again this year, spend their Christmas Eve in the kitchen at the Salvation Army helping to prepare the Christmas feast for many homeless and needed families.

"I really enjoy doing that," York said. "My favorite is to peel potatoes. We did this last year and I think the year before. I've convinced my friend Murphy to come along with us this year."

Giving to others is something the York family does all the way around. Miss York said that her PawPaw gives her money every year at Christmas to do with as she wishes. This year, her money is going to the animal shelter.

"I love animals so much," York said. "I heard that they really need more money to provide food and all there for the cats and dogs and this will help."

The efforts of Kamryn York and her young friends at Higgins Intermediate surpassed the count of cans from last year by 3,000. The total taken away from that campus alone last week by Ray Baldwin and his volunteers of Project Joy topped 9,829 cans for the 2007 year.

This food will go to families in the Whitehouse area and to the pantry shelves of the Philadelphia Blessing, right here in Whitehouse.

"…and a child shall lead them."