By Katie Vasquez
During the season of giving, students at St. Kevin Catholic Academy in Flushing, Queens are learning the true spirit of the holidays by doing a good deed for the community and donating new pajamas to children who need them.
This year the New York City school is taking part in the “Pajama Program,” a national nonprofit that provides sleepwear and other items that promote healthy sleep to kids.
“When I donate, I always feel happy inside of my heart, and I know that,” Daniel Fernandez, a 7th grader at the school tells Currents News. “I hope that they will be grateful for the stuff that we donate.”
“I feel like it’s an amazing for the kids who don’t have, are less fortunate than others. And I feel like it makes them feel – it makes you – feel good,” says fellow seventh grader Aydin Romero.
“All kids should have, a safe home should always be warm at night,” adds classmate Charlotte Rodriguez.
Studies show that a clean pair of pajamas can promote proper hygiene and quality of sleep, which in turn helps students focus on their studies.
“Hopefully a lot of those kids would benefit from this program,” Eliana Montalvo, who is part of the St. Kevin Catholic Academy Parent Association, explains.
The association hopes this drive will teach their kids a lesson on helping their fellow man.
“I think that many of us send our kids to Catholic school not only for the education, but for the morals and really understanding to be empathetic and to always give back. So this was a project that we felt like the whole school could take part of,” she says.
It’s an experience and learning opportunity that could already be sinking in for the dozens of students who have donated already.
“I think helping kids do better in school is very important. I think school is very important,” notes Rodriguez.
“There are kids who just wish they had what you had and you wish you had more,” says Romero. “So I feel like you should be grateful for what you have in the beginning.”
“It feels great in my heart to know that I’ve contributed to the less fortunate,” adds Fernandez.
The school plans to continue to collect pajamas for the needy, as long as the demand is there.