South St. Pete students step up to feed 400+

After Hurricane Milton tore through the community last week, students at Fairmount Park Elementary School in South St. Petersburg came together to provide hot meals for families affected by the storm. 

The initiative, which took place on Wednesday afternoon during dismissal, was spearheaded by the school’s 5000 Role Model Club and Girlfriends of Pinellas Club. Principal Andrew Akapnitis described the event as a spontaneous response to the needs observed among students and families in the aftermath of the storm. 

“At around noon or 11 o’clock, Mr. [Christian] Davis, who is the head of our 5000 Role Models club, came to me and said, ‘Hey, Mr. Akapnitis, I have donation money that we’ve received as a club, and my kids and the Girlfriends [Club] would love to have a cookout this afternoon for our families,'” Akapnitis recounted.

Davis, using club funds, purchased 700 hot dogs, chips and snacks. Staff members manned the grills while students prepared food packages. In total, they distributed over 500 meals to families during the afternoon pickup.

After an idea sparked action Wednesday afternoon, Fairmount Park Elementary School staff grilled hundreds of hot dogs on the fly to serve in time for the pickup line at 3:15 p.m.

Jamarrion Blue, a 5th-grade student from the 5000 Role Models Club, and Aariel Newton, a 5th-grade student from the Girlfriends of Pinellas Program, were among the students who participated in the effort.

“We wanted to give back to people, because some needed food,” said Aariel. “Other people had no car to go get food, so we were just passing it out.”

“If we give back, they could give us someday, too,” said Jamarrion. “I think it’s important to do that because sometimes people go into hard times, and they need help.”

Akapnitis emphasized the impact of the recent hurricanes on the school community: “Many students expressed they had no power still; they were displaced, sleeping on floors, hadn’t had real food in a week or two.”

Students from Fairmount Park Elementary’s 5000 Role Models Club and Girlfriends of Pinellas Club sponsored the food distribution with funds from their club account and “even kicked in a little of their own money,” according to Principal Andrew Akapnitis.

The school’s social worker set up a table to hand out flyers listing resources. Akapnitis observed an unprecedented level of openness from families seeking assistance.

“Normally, families keep it private; they don’t want their business out there, which I totally understand,” Akapnitis explained. “But I think when the families saw that we were all in this together and how many people were affected, they felt comfortable to come up to the table and ask for help.”

The initiative was part of a broader effort by Fairmount Park Elementary to support its community in the wake of the storms. The school has implemented a trauma-informed approach this year, focusing on meeting the emotional, mental health and physical needs of both teachers and students, in addition to creating teacher and student wellness rooms.

In addition to serving families in the car line, Fairmount Park Elementary Principal Andrew Akapnitis said the students handed out food bags to anyone in the community who walked up “needing a hot meal.”

Akapnitis credited Davis, facilitator of the 5000 Role Models Club, and Ashley Carrington, leader of the Girlfriends of Pinellas Program, for creating a culture of kindness and community service in their respective clubs.

“For them to put this in action, it was a beautiful thing to see. I was so proud, and so happy to be out there with them,” the principal said. “There was never a pause in any of the kids or adults; everyone just understood the mission.”

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