For seven Messmer students, a regular Tuesday afternoon was an opportunity to put their faith into action.

On Sept. 15, six seniors and one junior joined Campus Minister Michael Radakovich at All Saints Catholic Church to serve through the parish’s Hot Meal Program, which provides free hot meals to people in need in the Milwaukee community.

The students arrived in the afternoon to help prepare for the evening meal. Working together in an assembly-line format, they cut desserts, assembled utensils and napkins into bags, and boxed three varieties of meals. By the time they finished, they had helped prepare 300 meals and package 150 meals for distribution.

For Afjia-Joiiea Salaam-Hale, Campus Ministry president, the experience was about more than preparing food. It was an opportunity to bring her classmates together in service to others.

“This experience was definitely a meaningful one for me Being able to rally up some of my fellow classmates and bring them together to help our community really gives me a sense of fulfillment. I have always fostered a soft spot for those who cannot always get what they need, and being able to give just a few hundred people a warm meal feeds me more than food is able to.”

At Messmer, service is rooted in our faith and our call to recognize the dignity of every person and respond to the needs of others. Experiences like this give students an opportunity to move beyond learning about faith and live it through their actions.

The service opportunity was organized through Messmer’s Campus Ministry Club, which coordinates a service project approximately once each month. Any Messmer student can sign up to participate, giving students regular opportunities to serve together beyond the walls of the school.

The All Saints Hot Meal Program serves free meals every Tuesday and Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. The parish also operates a food pantry on those days.

For Messmer students, opportunities like this are a reminder that service is not simply something we check off a list. It is a way to live our faith, care for our neighbors and help build the righteous and peaceful communities to which we are called.