Six student leaders of Maret's Families4Families (F4F) clubs received the President’s Volunteer Service Award yesterday for their work combatting food insecurity. Coby ’24, Brooks ’29, James ’24, John ’27, Mac ’25, and Lucas ’24 accepted their awards on Maret’s front lawn on Sunday, May 23. They were among 40 student leaders from 25 schools throughout the Washington, DC metro area who were honored.

Maret has two Families4Families clubs—one in the Middle School led by Mac and one in the Upper School led by James. Every month since August 2020, the students have collected groceries and other essentials and worked with local partner Life Pieces to Masterpieces to deliver the “Bags of Basics” directly to families in need in DC. At every month’s drop-off, students learn more about the mission of Life Pieces from Brother Moe Kie and founder Mary Brown. The experience closes with a reflection on the month’s shared work.

Families4families is a nonprofit that began with the Marshall family in response to the heightened rates of food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization grew, and in the 2020-2021 school year, more than 25 student-led clubs delivered groceries to various communities in the DMV. All of the Families4Families student-run clubs are paired with carefully vetted grassroots nonprofits. This partnership model has been replicated in 14 cities throughout the country and Puerto Rico.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award is presented to individuals who are “using their time and talents to solve some of the toughest challenges facing [the] nation.” In order to receive this award, students must have served a minimum of 80 hours of volunteer service, held a leadership position within their club, and participated in a minimum of five collections and deliveries.