The tables are smeared with jelly and other ingredients provided by the parents of the students with some occasional additional assistance from Raderstorf.

“It was really all the kids,” she says.

“They went home and they talked about it and taught their families about Catholic Social Teaching and taking care of our neighbors and supporting them.”

That first time, students and a few volunteer parents made hundreds of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to take to Santa Rosa park. After the group handed out the sandwiches to those at the park, they had a lot left over, which is when a parent offered Casa Maria’s location just around the corner.

Casa Maria is a Catholic Worker house that runs a free kitchen six blocks from the school. Many of those who are homeless or under-resourced in Pima County – which contains the highest density of homeless populations in Arizona – visit the house, which provides more than 500 bag lunches and 100 bags of groceries to community members each day.

Brian Flagg, who both lives in and oversees Casa Maria, was waiting for them without knowing it.

Casa Maria had run out of food that day and wasn’t going to be able to provide the 500-600 lunches it needed to serve the next day.

“Brian said, ‘This is literally a miracle. You have no idea how much this helps us,’” Raderstorf says, which prompted the students to ask if they could help Casa Maria again. “I turned to Brian and said, ‘Count on us every month.’”

In addition to sandwich delivery, Raderstorf occasionally takes the fifth-graders to Mass at the house, which has given them an understanding of those who rely on Casa Maria.

Casa Maria doesn’t have a church building. Instead, visiting priests, including Santa Cruz pastor Rev. David Guzman, worship in an outdoor shelter.

“All the seats were already filled, so we took milk crates and turned them over and sat on them. There were pigeons all around eating the scraps of food and it didn’t smell great,” Raderstorf describes. “[My students’] eyes got really big and the lightbulb went on that this is how people live and this is why we’re doing this – it’s so that these people can have a little bit extra for their day.”

Over the past year, the kids have gotten to know the neighborhood and the neighborhood has gotten to know them. Some of Casa Maria’s patrons tell Elijah they remember him as they say thank you for the sandwich, which provides all the reward he needs.

“I know that I can make a difference by giving the poor sandwiches,” he says.