Falmouth Volunteers in Public Schools - VIPS

06/05/2026

What a great night to celebrate our incredible VIPS volunteers! Thanks to our sponsors and the awesome staff at the Island Queen for providing the perfect setting! Congratulations to our honorees and all the volunteers and staff for making our program a model for others!

05/29/2026

Falmouth High School Fights Growing Rate of Food Insecurity with new School Food Pantry Collaboration

FALMOUTH, MA (May 28, 2026) Falmouth High School celebrated the official grand opening of the Clipper Pantry, a program to fight food insecurity amongst students and families. The pantry will be stocked with nutritious shelf-stable foods so students can have consistent access to nourishment when the school is closed on weeknights and weekends. The Clipper Pantry was made possible thanks to a partnership with the Stop & Shop School Food Pantry program, which is donating $7,500 towards food and supplies and Cape Kids Meals, which has supported the pantry through non-perishable food donations and has partnered with the district since 2019 to provide weekend bags of food to students facing food insecurity.

Nearly 40 percent of the 680 students enrolled at Falmouth High School are considered economically disadvantaged and face food insecurity daily. Over the past year the school has seen the need amongst its students and their families continue to grow with the increased cost of housing and living expenses. The newly established Clipper Pantry will increase access to nutritious foods to students and their families.

“We are very fortunate to have a passionate group of staff, teachers and community members working to meet the needs of our students in safe and supportive ways,” says Alan Harris, Falmouth High School Principal. “They have listened and empowered the students and the generosity of the community has accelerated the pantry’s growth,” he said.

The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program was established in 2019 to limit barriers impacting students’ ability to succeed in the classroom by making sure that they have consistent access to food. The program currently serves over 280 schools across the northeast, including seven pantries that support 22 schools on Cape Cod. It is one of the largest school food pantry programs in the country. Stop & Shop makes annual grants to support its school pantries, so Falmouth High School will have the opportunity to re-apply for funding in 2027 and beyond.

“Our School Food Pantry Program has inspired strong student outcomes across our footprint—with many schools reporting increased attendance and overall improvement in culture. We hope the pantry is a place where students can feel supported and empowered to pursue both their life and academic goals,” said Stephanie Cunha, Manager of External Communications for Stop & Shop.

Efforts to bring the Clipper Pantry to fruition involved a team of individuals, including teachers Stephanie Feronti, Ben Harden, and Susan Schmidt, support from the Falmouth Volunteers In Public Schools, Inc. Program’s Drawdé Geishecker, and community partners including Cape Kid Meals and Falmouth’s Rev. Nell Fields who helped generate donations including a commercial refrigerator and freezer. Items from the Clipper Pantry can be ordered by students using an online form, paper form, or visiting the pantry in person. In just over eight weeks, 80 bags of food have gone home with students who pick up the bags at the end of the day. The Clipper Pantry is open during lunch waves and by appointment and students are assisted by a mix of staff and volunteers to help them place orders based on their needs and preferences.

About Stop & Shop
A neighborhood grocer for more than 100 years, Stop & Shop is focused on delivering a wide assortment of fresh, healthy options at a great value through strong weekly sales and everyday low prices. The company is committed to making an impact in its communities by fighting hunger and working to ensure no students have to go to school hungry through its Stop & Shop
School Food Pantry Program. Headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC is an Ahold Delhaize USA Company and employs nearly 50,000 associates and operates more than 350 stores throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey. To learn more about Stop & Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com.

05/14/2026

Excited to be one of the nonprofits featured in Falmouth Living Spring/Summer issue.

05/04/2026

VIPS is pleased to announce the May “Student Volunteer of the Month,” is FHS senior Giada Ditacchio, daughter of April Ditacchio of East Falmouth.

Giada is a member of the National Honors Society, Math Honors Society, and French Honors Society. She has earned a Seal of Biliteracy in French. Giada is a member of FHS Student Government and serves as President of the Class of 2026. She received a 2025 award from the Society of Women Engineers and was the 2025 World Language award winner from the Trustees of Falmouth Public Library. At FHS, Giada is a member of the FHS Morning News and Down to Earth Club. She is a hockey player, and was a member of the FHS Varsity Hockey team, receiving a sportsmanship award for the 2023, 2025, and 2026 seasons and a coaches award in 2025. She is also a member of the Cape Cod Storm hockey team.

Giada’s volunteer time includes helping in the Falmouth Senior Center’s Chappy Café kitchen, PTO child care, and in the VIPS office. She also volunteers with various hockey camps and the Boston Bruins Academy Learn to Play program as well as the Falmouth Road Race.

Giada enjoys the social aspect of volunteering. “I’ve met so many people and learned so much about my community and aspects of life that I may not have learned of had I not volunteered,” she says. “Volunteering has helped me get out of my comfort zone and made me a kinder person.” A volunteer experience that has had special mean to Giada is her time spent in the Falmouth Senior Center Chappy Café. “The past two summers I learned how to work in a professional kitchen, putting my culinary skills to use while serving seniors in my community,” she says. “I learned so much being there, not only about getting a job in the restaurant industry or cooking a meal for my friends and family, but the close-knit community I became a part of. I had so much fun and always looked forward to my shift there. It didn’t feel like a job,” she says.

04/29/2026

Thursday’s weather is looking great—link in comments to register.

We hope you can join us as we celebrate our amazing volunteers!

04/13/2026

04/02/2026

VIPS is pleased to announce the April “Student Volunteer of the Month,” is FHS senior Chloe Bridges, daughter of Evan Bridges of East Falmouth.

Chloe is a member of the National Honors Society. She has earned High Honor Roll and Honor Roll achievements throughout her high school career. Chloe received the Ozug Book Award and a Rotary Youth Leadership Award her sophomore year and the Elmira College Key Award her junior year.

At FHS, Chloe is a member of the FHS Girls Golf Team and participates in several clubs, including Journalism Club, Film Club, Mock Trial, and Chess Club. She has served as a class representative for Student Government for the past three years. Chloe founded the SIL Project (Sustainability is Luxury), a media-based project targeting the issues of overconsumption and fast fashion. Chloe is a ballet dancer with Turning Pointe Dance Studio.

Chloe’s volunteer time includes serving as student representative to the Falmouth Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Committee where she assisted with a year-long project on inclusivity and accessibility of public transportation. She also gave a speech on banned books at a League of Women Voters Night for the school committee. Chloe has served as a volunteer for the FHS Freshman orientation, the Falmouth marathon expo, helped prep the Teaticket School gym, and in the VIPS office.

Chloe says engaging in volunteer work has been impactful to her personal development in countless ways. “Not only have I been given the opportunity to have a positive impact on my community, but I’ve received guidance and direction towards my passion of public advocacy.” A volunteer project that has had special meaning was her work with the Falmouth DEIB committee. Chloe says she expected to receive clear guidelines on how to research and analyze the problem, but soon realized she needed to come up with an approach on her own. “I immersed myself in the initiative by mapping out low income housing and hotels, later taking the journalistic approach of engaging with our state representative, town manager, and other community leaders to strengthen the conversation. I found it fascinating,” she says, “how little awareness there was about this issue, and the universal lack of understanding in terms of its detrimental effects on people’s lives.” She said that experience served as confirmation that journalism and advocacy play a crucial role in displaying the truths of social issues that aren’t recognized beyond a surface level. And,” she says, “it defined my purpose as a creative public advocate.”

03/06/2026

Today, we took time off ftom our regular duties to volunteer at the FHS Credit For Life fair. Such an important topic presented in a fun and engaging way.

03/03/2026

VIPS is pleased to announce the March “Student Volunteer of the Month,” is FHS senior Hope Kelleher, daughter of Daniel and Rachel Kelleher of Falmouth.

Hope is a member of the National Honors Society. She is a member of the FHS Girls Golf Team, and has earned Coach’s and Sportsmanship awards.

Hope’s volunteer time includes Falmouth Road Race, Cape Cod Marathon, the VIPS Glow Run, Teaticket Elementary courtyard holiday decorating, PTO Child Care, the St. Barnabas Strawberry Festival, Thanksgiving Dinner at Harborside Apartments, Junior Class work day, and the Falmouth Commission on Disabilities Disability Awareness Day obstacle course.

Hopes says she enjoys volunteering “because it lets me give back to my community and see the impact of my time.” She says the appreciation she receives makes her happy and motivates her to keep helping. Hope has volunteered at the St. Barnabas Church Strawberry Festival for the past three years and it has become her favorite volunteering event. “I help by handling the money transactions and serving the famous strawberry shortcake that brings a long line of people every year,” she says. “I love meeting so many different people and being part of such a welcoming community. It’s something I truly look forward to each year and feel grateful to be a part of.”