Students Donate Time, Lunches, To Pack Hundreds Of Lunches For Homeless Vets

By Edward Cardenas

GROSSE POINTE WOODS (CBS Detroit) - Students from Grosse Pointe North worked late, and got up early, this week to pack hundreds of lunches for homeless veterans in Detroit, and those in need in Macomb County.

Members of the school's Interact Club, along with other members of the student body, assembled the lunches for the non-profit International Brown Bag Lunches of Love.

"It is a great way to help out the community, especially those less fortunate," said Tom Burke, the senior president of the club.

Nearly 700 lunches were assembled in school by members of the club, and brought in by the students. The lunches - which included a sandwich, snack, fruit, drink and a note of thanks - were donated to the Michigan Veterans Foundation and the Roseville-based Feeding the Need.

This effort, to provide lunches to those in need was started nearly four years ago Diane Renee' Soulliere as a catechism community service project. From a small project that started at her dinner table, has grown into a multi-national effort call International Brown Bag Lunches of Love.

"I have this philosophy of go big, or go home," said Soulliere, of the effort which as packed more than 18,000 lunches in the past four years.

While the effort has reached out to a number of groups around the world, each donation is meaningfu.

Pamela Spinella, director of operations for Roseville-based Feeding the Need, said the lunches she received Friday help stretch their dollars to help more people in need.

"Without the schools helping us, we'd be having to buy the bread, peanut butter and jelly and all the things that go into lunches," said Spinella, who added that money could be used to buy meats, produce and vegetables. "It's just marvelous that there are groups that are willing to help people who really need assistance in the area."