Spring Break Service Trip: Memphis

Over spring break, 21 JBS students in grades 7-12 and four faculty chaperones traveled to Memphis to volunteer and serve alongside local agencies. The Montgomery Plan, led by Meghan Rathert, fulfilled the club's mission of inspiring informed, compassionate and impactful engagement through education, real-world experiences and reflection.

Monday morning, the group prepared field trip supplies at the Memphis Botanic Garden — cutting paper vegetables, making butterfly magnets and bagging koi food — before touring the greenhouse after a picnic lunch. That afternoon, they sorted 3,038 food donations at the Mid-South Food Bank, representing 3,646 meals for community members.

Tuesday began at Sweet Cheeks Diaper Ministry, where students repackaged and organized diapers after hearing how the founder launched the organization to address a need she experienced during her own pregnancy 15 years ago. The group later explored Memphis music history at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music and caught two live bands over dinner at B.B. King's Blues Club on Beale Street.

Wednesday centered on community and relationship. Students served the weekly hot lunch and food pantry through the Food Justice Ministry at First Congregational Church — assisting at check-in, serving food, offering beverages and helping guests shop. That evening, the group joined Urban Bicycle Food Ministry's weekly ride through downtown Memphis, delivering hot dogs, snacks and water to people experiencing homelessness. In between, a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum offered a powerful account of the American civil rights movement and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The group also enjoyed Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid, bowling, the March of the Ducks at The Peabody Memphis and several local restaurants.

Photos by Meghan Rathert.