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Date: 7/5/2023
EAST LONGMEADOW — It’s a messy job, but somebody has to do it. With peanut butter and jelly on their hands and smiles on their faces, children at St. Michael’s Church are making sandwiches for those experiencing homelessness.
They’re called The Sandwich Kids, children as young as years old meeting for an hour on the third Saturday of every month. Families bring everything they need to make the sandwiches. Then with a guiding hand from their parents, the kids go to work — slathering and spreading the tasty, timeless PB&J concoction.
“We tell the children we’re part of a community and not everyone has the same things we do, and we have to take care of one another. We need to help people who don’t have access to food or are currently struggling with homelessness. We make the sandwiches with love,” said program lead Randie Caetano-Cadigan.
Each time the group meets, a half dozen or so kids, along and adults, assemble as many as 300 sandwiches, delivering them to South Congregational Church in Springfield where the homeless pick them up.
Making the sandwiches can be a messy proposition. Some of the children specialize in production, layering on peanut butter and jelly while others oversee packaging.
“It’s a place for children of all abilities. My daughter has autism and she’s still able to come and do her part, whether that’s putting stickers on the bags or helping box the sandwiches. Making the sandwiches isn’t as easy as it sounds. It can get very messy, but we have a lot of fun doing this together,” said Caetano-Cadigan.
Anywhere from three to five families help out each month. Caetano-Cadigan says the work is very rewarding and she’s inviting others to join them from wherever they live.
“This is a great volunteer opportunity for families that have children too young to work in a soup kitchen or animal shelter. I try to teach my kids how to give back, to put our electronics down and do something that benefits our community,” she said.
The families of St. Michael’s have been making and delivering sandwiches for several years. The project gives new meaning to the term “sandwich generation.”
For more information about The Sandwich Kids or signing-up to help, call the church at 413-525-4253.