St. John's Freshmen Visit Harvest Project

The entire freshmen class of 300 young men from Saint John’s High School spent Sept. 1 at the in North Grafton for a community service experience on the farm. 

They spent half of the day working side by side harvesting fresh vegetables which will all be donated to local hunger relief organizations.

"Saint John's and Community Harvest Project share a belief in the importance of service to others, and we are thrilled to provide this service opportunity to these young men as they embark on this next phase of their education," said Kristin Bafaro, executive director of Community Harvest Project, in a prepared statement.

Saint John's High School is an Xaverian Brothers sponsored all-boys school, grades 9-12, located on Main Street in Shrewsbury. Each year before the start of school, the entire freshman class gathers for a day of retreat to set the tone for the Saint John's experience. 

As part of the day, freshmen engage in numerous activities, including icebreakers, small group discussions led by members of the senior class, and a guided meditation. 

Additionally, half of the day is traditionally spent volunteering at the Community Harvest Project in North Grafton. The retreat centers around the common idea of developing "men of service and men of faith."

Community Harvest Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to growing and donating highly nutritious food for hunger relief.  Thousands of volunteers every year, including school, church, civic, local business and corporate groups, work together to plant, grow and harvest the fresh fruit and produce that is donated to the Worcester County Food Bank and other hunger relief organizations in the area.