During the recent Thanksgiving holiday break, the Butler Bulldogs Army JROTC Cadets prepared meals and donated them to the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte.  The JROTC Book Study Team made a decision to give back to the community by making these meals to distribute and share with a homeless shelter.

The lunches each contained a sandwich, fruit, cookie and a water bottle.  The students also hosted a supply drive to donate hygiene items which included bars of soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant.  The cadets collected over 450 items in a two week span and donated all the items received over the Thanksgiving break.

This mission was implemented and accomplished by the cadets in their thoughtful gesture of getting into the “Spirit of giving thanks,” said Colonel Ott Siebert, Brigade Commander of the JROTC program at the school.

The Butler cadets enjoyed the experience, “the visit was very enlightening, and was a great learning experience and taught us to start appreciating the small things in life that many people don’t have, said Cadet Veronika Jordan.  Meanwhile, Cadet Sofia Brotherton said, “the homeless community is very prevalent in the Charlotte area, and they hardly get noticed on our list of problems in our community.  The impact we made by a few small items and a meal was huge.  The smiles and reactions as we handed out meals was so empowering and motivated us to continue this effort and collect more items throughout the school year.”

This kind of community service and exposure to real world challenges for our youth is something that should be encouraged, and supported by all who have an interest in improving our neighborhoods while offering a great learning experience, and personal satisfaction of accomplishment.  Kudos goes out the the leadership, and especially the cadets at Butler High School for pursuing this worthwhile endeavor in helping others who are in need living within our community.