SOUTH BERWICK—
Berwick Academy student-athletes Peter Jenkinson of North Hampton, N.H., Tell White of Newcastle, N.H., and Ethan Hawes of Eliot and St. Thomas Aquinas senior David Baxter of York have been cooking up meals for the homeless on the first Sunday of every month for over a year. The boys volunteer their time and donate the home-cooked meals to 50-70 people staying at Cross Roads House in Portsmouth, N.H., the largest emergency and transitional shelter in New Hampshire housing both individuals and families. The idea to become involved with Cross Roads came from Peter’s mom Vickie Jenkinson, after their family served dinner to the residents during the winter holidays in 2007. Since March of last year, Tell, Peter, and Ethan have been whipping up a different meal every month. On May 3, they brought a spread of salad, hot dogs, baked beans, green beans, and éclairs for dessert.
The boys made the decision to become involved with the program on their own; it is not a school or sport related requirement. Uncertain of what to expect, all three admit they were nervous on the first day of volunteering because the experience was truly stretching them outside their comfort zone. Once they met the staff at Cross Roads and interacted with the residents, however, they realized how rewarding it would be. When asked why participating in the program was important to them, they all had the same thing to say; it is a gratifying experience that has grounded them, and has given them a greater appreciation of what they have in life. It has allowed them to realize and be grateful for certain luxuries they have always been accustomed to and has motivated them to continue with charity work like this indefinitely.
All four students are actively involved in several sports and activities both on and off campus at their schools. Peter, a senior, plays varsity soccer and lacrosse. He was an EIL All-Star and MVP on his soccer team this past season, and was an All-League player on his lacrosse team last year. He graduates from Berwick this June and will attend the University of New England in the fall where he will play lacrosse. He plans to continue doing volunteer work while in college.
Tell, a junior, plays varsity soccer and basketball and received the Coaches Award on his basketball team this past season. He traveled to Costa Rica for a community service program his freshman year and has played percussion instruments for two years.
Ethan, a junior, plays varsity soccer, basketball, and baseball. He was the class president his sophomore year and has participated in on-campus community service projects like the Red Cross Blood Drive. He also earned the Science Department Award as a sophomore.
David Baxter, a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas captained the varsity basketball team and was voted MVP last season. He also received an honorable mention for the Class I All state team. David will be attending University of Miami this fall. All four boys will volunteer at Cross Roads through the summer and although Peter and David go off to college this fall, both Tell and Ethan plan to continue, with the hope of making it a Berwick tradition.
Cross Roads House Volunteer Coordinator, Diane Bundow, commented, “It has been an absolute pleasure working with the boys for the past year. The fact that they cook the meals at their homes and bring them to Cross Roads House has been such a big help to us. I am so pleased that they plan to continue volunteering through the summer and into next year. They have been such a wonderful addition to our volunteer program and I look forward to continue working with these boys as well as other Berwick Academy students in the future.”
Photo caption: From left – Peter Jenkinson (BA’09,) David Baxter (STA ’09,) Ethan Hawes (BA ‘10,) , and Tell White (BA ’10) have been cooking up hot meals for Cross Roads House residents for over a year. (Courtesy photo).
Berwick Academy student-athletes Peter Jenkinson of North Hampton, N.H., Tell White of Newcastle, N.H., and Ethan Hawes of Eliot and St. Thomas Aquinas senior David Baxter of York have been cooking up meals for the homeless on the first Sunday of every month for over a year. The boys volunteer their time and donate the home-cooked meals to 50-70 people staying at Cross Roads House in Portsmouth, N.H., the largest emergency and transitional shelter in New Hampshire housing both individuals and families. The idea to become involved with Cross Roads came from Peter’s mom Vickie Jenkinson, after their family served dinner to the residents during the winter holidays in 2007. Since March of last year, Tell, Peter, and Ethan have been whipping up a different meal every month. On May 3, they brought a spread of salad, hot dogs, baked beans, green beans, and éclairs for dessert.
The boys made the decision to become involved with the program on their own; it is not a school or sport related requirement. Uncertain of what to expect, all three admit they were nervous on the first day of volunteering because the experience was truly stretching them outside their comfort zone. Once they met the staff at Cross Roads and interacted with the residents, however, they realized how rewarding it would be. When asked why participating in the program was important to them, they all had the same thing to say; it is a gratifying experience that has grounded them, and has given them a greater appreciation of what they have in life. It has allowed them to realize and be grateful for certain luxuries they have always been accustomed to and has motivated them to continue with charity work like this indefinitely.
All four students are actively involved in several sports and activities both on and off campus at their schools. Peter, a senior, plays varsity soccer and lacrosse. He was an EIL All-Star and MVP on his soccer team this past season, and was an All-League player on his lacrosse team last year. He graduates from Berwick this June and will attend the University of New England in the fall where he will play lacrosse. He plans to continue doing volunteer work while in college.
Tell, a junior, plays varsity soccer and basketball and received the Coaches Award on his basketball team this past season. He traveled to Costa Rica for a community service program his freshman year and has played percussion instruments for two years.
Ethan, a junior, plays varsity soccer, basketball, and baseball. He was the class president his sophomore year and has participated in on-campus community service projects like the Red Cross Blood Drive. He also earned the Science Department Award as a sophomore.
David Baxter, a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas captained the varsity basketball team and was voted MVP last season. He also received an honorable mention for the Class I All state team. David will be attending University of Miami this fall. All four boys will volunteer at Cross Roads through the summer and although Peter and David go off to college this fall, both Tell and Ethan plan to continue, with the hope of making it a Berwick tradition.
Cross Roads House Volunteer Coordinator, Diane Bundow, commented, “It has been an absolute pleasure working with the boys for the past year. The fact that they cook the meals at their homes and bring them to Cross Roads House has been such a big help to us. I am so pleased that they plan to continue volunteering through the summer and into next year. They have been such a wonderful addition to our volunteer program and I look forward to continue working with these boys as well as other Berwick Academy students in the future.”
Photo caption: From left – Peter Jenkinson (BA’09,) David Baxter (STA ’09,) Ethan Hawes (BA ‘10,) , and Tell White (BA ’10) have been cooking up hot meals for Cross Roads House residents for over a year. (Courtesy photo).
