North Cross School partnering with Rescue Mission for volunteer service

Students from North Cross' upper school will visit Rescue Mission twice a month.

ROANOKE, Va. – North Cross School is partnering with Rescue Mission Ministries of Roanoke for a year of volunteer service.

Students from North Cross' upper school, which covers grades 9 to 12, will visit the Rescue Mission for a full day twice a month. Upper school students have always been required to have some hours of community service, but North Cross staff say this partnership will allow students to serve together.

Students will be helping serve food, sort clothes, and other daily tasks to keep the shelter running.

"A lot of our students have served there before, whether it be with their parents or churches, so we just thought it would be the perfect place to bring our efforts to make the most impact in the community," said Alex Hash, community outreach coordinator for North Cross. 

"Oh my goodness. We are so excited because not only do we have the students coming, we have a commitment already in place, time and resources for the next year. So those are things that we can count on," said Karl Stewart, volunteer manager for the Rescue Mission. 

Rescue Mission staff say their numbers are up, they are seeing about 290 individuals in need a night.