Each month throughout the school year, the GFS community generously donates time and goods through drives for food, school supplies, holiday meals, and winter clothing. Organized by Dr. Zarah Adams, Director of Community Engagement, the events are informed by ongoing dialogue with local community leaders about the greatest needs of our Germantown neighbors.

It was through consulting with Lenora Starks at nearby Holsey Temple that students in the Community Engagement Club learned about the pressing need for toiletry items, which are often the first cuts to a budget when one is struggling to make ends meet. This past spring, they put together 400 toiletry kits for both the individuals served by Holsey Temple’s food ministry and its regular Sunday congregants. GFS students also built and help maintain Germantown Community Fridge’s website, and will be lending their technology skills to a new pastor in the neighborhood this year, all from connecting with our neighbors and understanding their needs. 

This emphasis on dialogue and partnership with neighbors and community leaders extends across the school to teachers and students who get to know our neighbors, local business owners, and community leaders, and form relationships through class projects, such as the local park study in the Lower School, and student clubs like the Upper School’s Community Action club, which supplies sandwiches to the Germantown Community Fridge each week. 

This year, the Community Engagement department is launching a new Teaching Fellowship in partnership with local colleges to strengthen the teacher pipeline. The office also leads a monthly affinity space for GFS students of color called Morning Chill, organizes the school’s annual Martin Luther King Day of Service, and participates in efforts to address issues of importance to the Germantown community, including bike and pedestrian safety. The initiatives reflect GFS’ mission to build an inclusive and caring community whose members imagine a better world and put their ideas to work–together.

“Our work is centered on relationships built over time through listening and collaboration around shared needs and goals,” said Adams. “I’ve learned that meaningful engagement with our community is informed by a collective voice. This practice supports the shared distribution of power needed to foster a thriving, diverse community.”

Community Engagement Activities 2024 - 2025

Donation Drives

Prior to each month’s drive, reminders are sent that include specific suggestions for supplies and food and information on how to volunteer to help. Donations are collected on the Meetinghouse porch on the Main campus, and during morning drop off at the Center City campus, and support local food ministries, schools, and shelters.

Tuesday, September 17: Community School Supplies Drive
Tuesday, October 8: Community Food Drive
Monday, November 18: Friday, November 22: EC Turkey Drive for Holsey Temple
Tuesday, November 19: Community Food Drive
Tuesday, December 10: Community Food and Toy Drive for the annual Stenton Family Manor Dinner
Tuesday, January 14: Community Food Drive
Tuesday, February 4: Community Food Drive
Tuesday, March 11: Community Food Drive
Tuesday, April 8: Community Food Drive
Tuesday, May 6: Community Food Drive

Morning Chill for K-12

The Morning Chill program offers a welcoming space for students of color in grades K - 12 to come together, get to know each other, and build community in their shared identity. Students meet each month in the Children's Reading Room of the Friends Free Library and enjoy a light breakfast, conversation, and fun. 

Friday, October 11: 7:30-8 a.m.
Friday, December 13: 7:30-8 a.m. 
Friday, January 10: 7:30-8 a.m.
Friday, February 28: 7:30-8 a.m.
Friday, April 11: 7:30-8 a.m.
Friday, May 2: 7:30-8 a.m.

Early Childhood Turkey Drive

In one of their first lessons on the importance of stewardship and community, and the joy it brings, Early Childhood students lead GFS’ annual Turkey Drive by creating heart pins and giving them out in exchange for donations from students, families, faculty, and staff. The drive supplies full Thanksgiving meals for our neighbors at the Holsey Temple, a local church and ministry that GFS serves as a community partner. This year's drive runs Monday, November 18 through Friday, November 22.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

GFS’ annual Martin Luther King Day of Service honors the civil rights leader through special speakers, service, and learning in workshops and activities led by our community, including teachers, staff, and neighbors. This year’s theme centers on nonviolence as a sustainable solution to injustice.

GFS Teaching Fellowship

New this year, The Teaching Fellowship Program at GFS is an experience for novice teachers interested in additional training and professional development. Fellows will learn from experienced GFS faculty and gain hands-on classroom experience. In addition to strengthening the teacher pipeline, Fellowship leaders seek to diversify the pool of candidates teaching at GFS through this new program.  

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With its emphasis on collaboration driven by relationships, Community Engagement at GFS is an integral part of the overall student experience. 

“Collaboration allows us to recognize that we all have gifts and talents to share, said Adams. “We can build and strengthen relationships by learning from, and exploring what it means to be in a community with one another. The bonds we form contribute to the healthy and thriving learning community GFS offers.”