Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills City Schools.
Students in a Life Skills class volunteer at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.
On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, a Vestavia Hills High School bus pulls into the parking lot of the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama in West Homewood.
The bus is full of students from the school’s Life Skills class, ready for a day of helping people in need.
For the next few hours, the students sort food, pack boxes and prepare for the food bank to deliver food to needy families throughout the greater Birmingham area. In 2023, the Community Food Bank reported that it delivered 21 million meals.
Food bank development director Ginger Pegues said this task couldn’t be completed without volunteers like the VHHS Life Skills students.
“We’re so grateful to the Vestavia kids. They are fabulous,” Pegues said. “When the students make meal boxes, they’re not just spending that hour sorting or putting those boxes together; they’re making sure that our neighbors have food on their table.”
The Life Skills program at Vestavia Hills High School is for students with developmental or intellectual disabilities, such as autism or Down syndrome.
Ashley Watkins, an exceptional education teacher with the program, said the class prepares these students for life after graduation, teaching them valuable social and vocational skills, and the Community Food Bank is an integral part of the curriculum.
“At this age, we have more of what is called a ‘transition focus,’ preparing our students ninth through 12th grade and beyond, preparing them and focusing on transitioning to the next stage, adulthood,” Watkins said. “We’re getting them ready for all of those functional living skills and vocational skills, which is what the food bank lends itself to really well.”
Watkins added that the students not only develop practical skills, such as teamwork and the ability to complete tasks that can benefit them in the workplace, they also develop a passion for helping people.
“Emotionally, I think they get a sense of purpose because we really try to hone in on, ‘Hey, you are really helping the community. What you’re doing is helping others,’” Watkins said.
Sam Humphries and Sarah Shirey, also Life Skills teachers at Vestavia Hills High School, said the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama has been more than welcoming, helping each student find ways to contribute and be successful regardless of their skill set or social needs.
“The food bank is so accommodating to us. They understand that our kids have so many different needs, and they’ll accommodate that, and we can have certain kids that just might break down boxes or kids that might have to go in a separate room and work independently,” Humphries said. “We love them. They’re the best.”
“They provide our community with valuable resources that are very needed,” Shirey said. “Our students at Vestavia Hills High School are able to help our community while gaining essential life skills that will help them in the future. We are so grateful that the Food Bank gives students the opportunity to contribute and make a lasting impact in their community.”
