From the masses that swarm in front of the library during homecoming and prom season to the constant fundraisers at local restaurants to the traditional welcome back videos at the beginning-of-the-year assemblies, the SCA works throughout the school year to bring exciting new events to Mason. While many of these are to benefit the student body, others, such as the annual blood drive, work to give back to the surrounding community. One of these service projects comes from the senior class and their work cooking for the local Falls Church Homeless Shelter.

Every Tuesday from November to March, a few senior class officers gather in the former Home Economics classroom and plan out a dinner that they will then cook and bring across the street to the homeless shelter. Although this is a little known activity from the SCA, it has been a tradition for over 15 years and helps keep Mason students engaged with the city.

“In Falls Church you wouldn’t really think that there are people who need help in this way ,but there are and I think it’s really important to be involved in providing that aid especially as a student organization,” said senior class vice president, Julie Connelly.

SCA officers usually begin with a budget of about 100 dollars, taken from homecoming costs and other fundraisers, and collect ingredients to put together a meal that is both healthy and convenient for those at the shelter. Usually the meal includes an entree, such as tacos, a side, such as a salad, and a desert, such as cookies. After the food is ready, one or two SCA members bring it to the shelter where it is served to the residents that night.

“By having this set in stone for us, as in someone has to be there every Tuesday no matter what, it helps the senior SCA work together in a way that we wouldn’t do for many of the other projects we have,” said senior class president, Kortney Wattles.

The shelter only stays open from November to April 1 to keep residents warm and healthy in the winter months and help them begin to find work and housing for the next year. However, during its operation, the shelter’s leadership relies on volunteer groups like the SCA to bring in meals for breakfast and dinner.

“The shelter is fairly small so it doesn’t have a dedicated kitchen or food staff. For that reason, they rely a lot on volunteer groups like us to bring in food during the winter when it’s harder for people to find a warm meal,” said senior class at large member, James Weichert.

As a tradition for the Mason SCA, cooking for the homeless also allows the school to implement their funds in a way that encourages students to interact and give back to their community. Although it is similar to the Halloween Hootenanny, sponsored by the executive board, or one of the various fundraisers put on by other grades, this is the way that the senior class is using their resources to help others.

“It’s essentially the senior class giving back. We realized we have all this money that we have accumulated over the years and we decided to use it for something unique that we could return to the community,” said senior SCA sponsor, Mr. Will Snyder.

Additionally, as the class of 2019 reaches its final months in highschool, many students are looking for ways to leave their mark on the community that they’ve grown up with. Many of the senior officers view the project similarly, as a way of giving back before they leave Mason and Falls Church next year.

“This is a tradition that should stick around because it gives back to the local community and preps us for what is to come in college and later on. I think it’s important that we have to give back as we move forward,” said Wattles.  

The last time the SCA will cook for the homeless is Tuesday, March 5th. The senior officers invite anyone who would like to help out to stop by the Home Ec. room in the TLC any Tuesday after school until then. Additionally, a sign up and schedule on the Falls Church Homeless Shelter’s website allows any volunteer group to contribute to their weekly meals.