Grafton Youth Feeds More than 2,000

eighth grader Leah Allen helped feed more than 2,000 people during her day of community service at Project 351.

She was Grafton’s representative to the program, a statewide initiative launched by Gov. Deval Patrick to encourage young people to get involved in community service.

An 8^th grader from every city and town in Massachusetts was chosen to participate in Project 351, which was held Jan. 8 in Boston. These students were selected based on their academic effort and community involvement.

Leah spent much of her day volunteering at the Greater Boston Food Bank, where she put food items together for Backpacks for Kids, a program that provides food for youngsters in need during weekends when they might otherwise go hungry.

She discussed her experience at last night's meeting of the Grafton School Committee.

She also helped with a similar program for seniors and with a mobile pantry program, designed for people who might not have convenient access to food sources.

The day included a talk by the governor, who Leah said spoke about the impact Martin Luther King Jr. had and the importance of community service.

Leah said the day was inspiring. “I learned that even a small group of us can make such a huge difference in people’s lives,’’ she said.