Knightly News

Episcopal students and teachers recently spent the evening volunteering at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. In just a few hours, the team made a tremendous impact, packing enough food to feed 340 local families. Service Learning Coordinator Kristina St. George says it was a rewarding night and the students were enthusiastic and engaged.

Episcopal junior Caiden Duff enjoyed the experience, made new friends and learned a lot along the way.  “I learned how to work an assembly line at a lower level and how all the parts of one job can come together to create something wonderful,” he says. “Almost every box sent to the sometimes working tape machine had the right amount of food. I am so happy the Food Bank exists to feed the 1 in 4 people who live in poverty in this state.”

While at the food bank, students toured the facility and learned more about its role in the community. Food Bank representatives pointed out that for every dollar donated, the organization can feed three people. They also highlighted the difference between a food bank, which serves as a food distributor to area food pantries, and a food pantry, which is a location where residents can pick up food.

Pack the Pantry

Episcopal will host its annual Pack the Pantry Food Drive to support one of those pantries, the Shepherd’s Market Food Pantry. Episcopal has a longstanding relationship with the Shepherd’s Market and broke records last year with the annual food drive. This year, St. George says the effort will focus on helping the market meet the everyday needs of families. “We want to make a difference beyond one holiday meal,” she says.

To do that, the drive will be organized by division to focus on daily meals.

Upper School

Middle School

Lower School

Students are taking on leadership roles in the effort. St. George is partnering with the Upper School and Middle School Student Councils to identify promotional efforts and incentives to encourage student participation. St. George is also educating each leadership team and division about the importance of feeding our neighbors.

Service Beyond Meals

Episcopal students have already been quite busy serving the local community this school year. Since July, students have logged 1,419 service hours, worth more than $51,000 in volunteer time. St. George’s office is a testament to those efforts. The space includes boxes of books donated by Lower School families through an effort organized by the Upper School Students for Humanitarian Aid and Awareness Club. The books will be donated to local reading centers and programs. On another side of the office, brightly colored fabric waits for fourth grade students to transform it into blankets for local animal shelters, and loaves of bread will soon become peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to be donated to the community fridge on behalf of the Upper School Tuesday Initiative Club.

Service learning is a defining component of an Episcopal education and is critical for preparing students for lives of purpose and meaning. Thank you to everyone who has already dedicated time and effort to helping others this school year.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2025-2026 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.