On Thursday, March 5, German students and club members from Midlothian High School traveled to First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond to prepare a delicious dinner for less fortunate families living in poverty who cannot afford a place to stay or food to eat. The acronym CARITAS stands for Congregations Around Richmond Involved To Assure Shelter and simply means “care” in Latin. Frau Boer, a German teacher at Midlo and the coordinator of this gratifying event, has participated in CARITAS annually for the past twelve years.

The German students met at the church located in downtown Richmond and began by carrying various food items from Frau Boer’s car to the kitchen, where they would prepare the food. Many Midlothian families donated dinner, breakfast, and snack items, as well as clothing items and toys for the young children.

Once the students had collected and sorted all of the donated items, they began preparing a hearty soup for the thirty homeless family members. The high school students, as well as some parents, worked together to cook a meal that the families would thoroughly enjoy. Junior Vivien Berft expressed that her favorite part of the night was serving and conversing with the families.

Overall, the event was a huge success and one that proved an eye-opening and gratifying experience for Midlothian High School’s German students and club members.