At Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, we have a history of putting our faith into action. Each year we identify and assess the community’s needs and determine as a school, with our Principal and Pastor, which projects best fulfill our school’s ongoing commitment to living the mission of Jesus. Below are just a few of the many service projects our students have spearheaded and participated in.

Kimberly Home Walk-A-Thon

Each year during Catholic Schools Week, students in grades EC3 through 8th are encouraged to collect pledges for our annual Walk-A-Thon benefitting The Kimberly Home. The Kimberly Home is a Catholic, not-for-profit resource center where pregnant mothers gain support and prenatal care prior to, during, and post pregnancy. It is a residential facility. They educate, support, and empower women facing unexpected pregnancies with compassionate, confidential, and professional care.

Mass at Mease Manor Continuing Care Retirement Community

Our school choir and select altar servers and student readers travel to Mease Manor retirement community and nursing home in Dunedin during Advent and Lent to assist at Mass celebrated by our Pastor. The school children create greeting cards for the residents, sharing the sentiment of the seasons.

Meals for Pinellas Hope Homeless Shelter

Our students actively participate in preparing, cooking, and packaging food for meals that are delivered to Pinellas Hope, a temporary emergency shelter for over 250 men and women run by Catholic Charities. Their mission is “to serve with charity and compassion to promote the sanctity and dignity of all people with God.”  Student Council members travel to Pinellas Hop and help serve the food they helped to prepare, to the residents of the shelter.

Migrant Workers Candy Drive

Each year after Halloween our 5th grade class spearheads this drive benefitting the children of local migrant farm workers. The surplus candy is collected from students’ households and individually bundled as Christmas candy bags. The bags are then distributed with the parish-wide project “Giving Tree” which benefits migrant children, providing them with Christmas toys and additional gifts.

Migrant Workers “Christmas Giving Tree”

In collaboration with the entire parish, the middle school students assist in the organization and loading of Christmas gifts donated by parishioners and school families. The “Christmas Giving Tree” provides migrant farm workers’ children with Christmas toys and additional gifts. We have been told many times in the past that without our families’ generosity, many farm workers’ children would receive no gifts at all on Christmas.

Pediatric Cancer Awareness – “Paul’s Project”

Each September during Pediatric Cancer Awareness month, in honor of former alumni Tyler Gray and Jackson Abernathy, our students collect items for family care packages for those with hospitalized children. We collect colored socks, flip-flops, and blankets, in addition to monetary donations made to the project.

Random Acts of Flowers, Tampa Bay

Parishioner and Executive Director of Random Acts of Flowers, Janette Donoghue, brings this service project to life with our students. During Catholic Schools Week our school families donate leftover or unused vases from previous floral arrangements. Ms. Donoghue and her team provide the flowers. Our students then arrange the bouquets and help deliver them to nursing homes and hospitals to residents and patients most in need of our prayers, cheer, and good will!

Thanksgiving Food Drive

In collaboration with our St. Vincent de Paul parish-wide food drive, our student body collects canned goods and non-perishable items to provide families less fortunate with food items for their Thanksgiving meal. The students assist in sorting and bagging the goods which are then distributed by St. Vincent de Paul volunteers two days prior to the holiday.