It has been widely promoted that the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King should not be a day off, but a day on…of service, that is. This year, Dr. King’s birthday was the kick off of a food drive at Marshall School. Our goal was to support families in need with a sizable donation to Toni’s Kitchen, a food ministry of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church located in Montclair. We collected an enormous amount of food thanks to our students who brought items from home. Many parents generously made monetary donations which were used to purchase more food. The school looked forward to packing day – Friday, February 1st. On that day, students worked collaboratively to pack over 500 backpacks with food! Every class stuffed backpacks. In addition, each grade had varying but equally important tasks that supported this effort. Kindergarteners created placements to donate to the Toni’s Kitchen restaurant. We are certain that guests will enjoy the lovely artwork of our students as they partake of their meals. First graders tallied donations as they arrived and kept a record of what we received. Second graders sorted foods and created packing stations. It was truly a school-wide effort and we are very proud that we were able to assist so many families. This event was spearheaded by Assistant Principal Laura Swyberius and the Marshall PTA. We are grateful to the time they gave to this memorable and impactful project.