Living God’s Story One Can at a Time

At our school, we often tell our community that Teaching for Transformation (TfT) is more than a curriculum framework—it’s a way of seeing and living God’s story. But unless you are in our classrooms day after day, it can be difficult to picture what that truly looks like for our students. This fall, one of our beloved Grade 1 teachers, Mary Owen, invited her students into a food drive as her FLEX Project.

FLEX Project is what we call a Formational Learning Experience. It gives students an opportunity to do “real work that meets a real need for real people.” It moves learning from theory to practice, from knowing to loving, from ideas to action.

A Story That Sparked Compassion

As the class began a Social Studies unit on “communities,” she wanted her students not only to learn about community—but to bless it. Guided by her Deep Hope (“that we will learn to worship God with all our heart, soul, and strength”), she set out to help her students understand how loving God is inseparable from loving others.They began by reading two powerful picture books:

Maddi’s Fridge, the story of a child who discovers her friend’s family has very little food at home; and One Can, a tender story about a young boy who wants to donate to his class food drive even though his own family is one of these families in need.

“These books opened their eyes,” Mary shared. “We talked about food security and how God calls us to care for others. The kids began asking, ‘What can we do?’”

One Can Can Make a Difference

The class decided to host their own food drive, inspired by the “One Can” story. They created a slogan: “One Can Can Make a Difference.” A Grade 12 TA, Reuben, designed a flyer. Grade 1 students illustrated posters. They practiced speaking at Chapel, inviting the elementary school to join the effort. And even before the official start date, one excited student showed up with a jar of peanut butter: “I brought my peanut butter! I didn’t want to wait!” Soon the items began filling baskets. Students sorted food, counted donations, celebrated each milestone. Their initial goal was 100 items—and by mid-campaign, they had already surpassed it.

The food was donated to Food Bank on Wheels, an organization that delivers groceries to those unable to visit the food bank in person. When the volunteer arrived to pick up the items, the students helped load the food and saw firsthand the impact of their generosity.

Children Living the Kingdom Story—Right Now

Whether they are collecting food, writing encouragement notes to neighbors, or thanking workers on our campus, our grade 1 students are practicing what it means to see and serve others through Jesus’ eyes.This is what your investment makes possible.