On October 5th, Riverdell’s Interact Club worked together to unpack over 2,500 pumpkins at the First Congregational Church of River Edge.
This gave students the opportunity to earn up to 3 service hours, but also had the option of leaving or joining halfway through the event to earn 1.5 hours.
The Interact Club is traditionally one, if not, the largest club at River Dell, hosting over 200 members.
This club gives a helping hand to students looking to find more community service hours. 20 hours of community services must be kept on record to be considered a member of the club. Interact brings Riverdell students closer, pushing them to work together outside of school hours.
The pumpkin patch is already the second event this year offered up by The Interact Club. A total of 56 interact club members attended the pumpkin patch this year, 18 of the participants being freshmen. Lia Napolitano, a freshman at Riverdell said, “The pumpkin patch was a great way to start off my community service hours, I am excited for next year.”
This year is the 16th year of the annual pumpkin patch fundraiser, and the 9th of The Interact Club participating. Each year in October about 3,000 pumpkins are sent to the First Congressional Church to unpack and set up.
In doing so the First Congregational Church Of River Edge (where the pumpkin patch is hosted) raises money for themselves “while 60% of all proceeds support Indigenous groups in New Mexico”, explained Mrs. Sagalchik, The Interact Club’s faculty advisor.
While most students stayed for the full duration of the pumpkin patch, about 25% of students chose to leave at the 1.5-hour mark. When asked why she thought some students left early, Mrs. Sagalchik replied, “It is a very tiring job, and takes lots of heavy lifting. This is why the church offers drinks and snacks for the volunteers. The kids can take breaks whenever needed.”
Interact club has been taking part in the pumpkin patch set up for 9 years. Coming back is a no brainer for the leaders of interact. By signing up, students learn hard work, get to enjoy time with their friends, help out the community, and tick off 3 hours from the 20 hours required, all in one shot.
The event started at 9:30 a.m. and carried on until 12:30 in the afternoon. Students lined up down the sidewalk in front of the church, staggering. One by one every pumpkin would be passed down the line by each participant, until it reached the last person in line. From there the last person in line would place the pumpkin on the grass, and move to a new spot. This process was repeated until the whole front of the church was covered in pumpkins.
Over all, the pumpkin patch was a total success. Bringing students and the community together, leaving students enthusiastic about community service, and hopefully want to keep returning for interact club events.
