In August, eight religious faith organizations came together as part of the Holladay City Interfaith Council to fill the shelves of the Granite School District’s Cottonwood High School Pantry with essential school supplies. 

The various faiths' collaborative effort demonstrated the power of serving the community in meeting the urgent needs of students, nearly half of whom rely on free and reduced lunch programs to support their well-being. Out of a total of 1,500 students at Cottonwood, 46 are facing challenges related to homelessness in their communities. 

The Interfaith School Supply Service Project serves as a beacon of hope in a world often weighed down by sadness and concern for the challenges faced by children living in poverty. Robyn Ivins, a volunteer at the Cottonwood High School Teen Center and Pantry, emphasizes that most donations to the pantry come from the local community. 

“Cottonwood is so grateful to everyone who keeps us well-stocked,” she said. “Without community support, we couldn't help our students and their families. We've even had students return after graduation to share how important the pantry and teen center was to their academic success.” 

The pantry opened in 2017 and is available for anyone on Tuesdays and Fridays. It provides needed food, hygiene products, and school supplies for 90 to 120 students per week. According to Ivins, to help provide further needed student resources, Cottonwood High School Teen Center opened in October 2023, providing a quiet place to study, do laundry, shower and have access to the social worker.

Interfaith Council member Kimberly Brubaker helped collect school supplies and helped deliver the supplies. With seven congregations in the Cottonwood Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, each was provided with a project point person. The school supply list was divided among the congregations to ensure that all school supply items were collected, and Cottonwood High students would be ready to begin classes.

United by a common purpose, the following Council faith communities joined together to ensure that Cottonwood High School students had the necessary school supplies to start the school year.

“Learning is a basic need—It's the pathway to a better future—and school supplies open that door,” Brubaker said. “The generosity of the community in donating needed school supplies was overwhelming! When we arrived at the school, the shelves were bare. With classes just days away, the reality of the need hit me hard. The unity of our different faith communities coming together to gather supplies truly made a difference for students in need.  Seeing the impact of our collective efforts has inspired our Interfaith Council to keep finding new ways to work together for good. It is so meaningful to see the good that can come when we are united in purpose despite our differences.”

The Holladay Interfaith Council's mission is to promote supportive cooperation, recognition, tolerance, respect and understanding among various faiths. United by a common purpose, the following Council faith communities joined together to ensure that Cottonwood High School students had the necessary supplies to start the school year: The Baha’i community, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Congregation Koi Ami, Holladay United Church of Christ, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and the Utah Islamic Center. 

“As an Interfaith Council, we love to show up and support the events hosted by each other’s faith communities, especially service projects,” said Interfaith Chair Rachel Matthews. “This year, we wanted to build on that enthusiasm by planning a giving opportunity that wasn’t organized or sponsored by any single church. We are so grateful to Holladay City for spreading the word about this service project and for providing a central location for our generous neighbors to drop off donations.” 

According to Mayor Rob Dahle, volunteers loaded three trucks at Holladay City Hall and then delivered and unloaded the items at the school.

“Pantry volunteers were not prepared for the number of items that were delivered,” Dahle said. “The Interfaith School Supply Service Project was a huge success, and so appreciated by the Cottonwood High Community. I’m so lucky to live in this city!”