The multi-faceted service program of St. Edward comprises the Community Meal, the Service Club, and Campus Ministry. The Community Meal, held the fourth Wednesday of every month, is run by math teacher Mr. Paul Bosley and senior religion teacher Mr. Mike Reiling. The St. Edward Service Club, moderated by guidance counselor Mr. Grant Wanner, allows students to express their passion for helping others through service. Finally, Campus Ministry home to Mr. Patrick Chrosniak and CSPJ, also known as Catholic Schools for Peace and Justice, organize service opportunities throughout the entire school year. All three parts of the service community are important aspects to St. Edward.

On the fourth Wednesday of every month, St. Edward High School hosts its Community Meal. Led by Mr. Bosley in the kitchen and Mr. Reiling in the dining room (the café), the Community Meal has coordinated a meal every month for the past fifteen years, with only one cancellation due to weather. On average, 200-225 people attend the meal each month. In addition to the meal, individual meals are delivered to hospice patients, and a group meal is delivered to a battered women’s shelter. Not only is the Community Meal a great help to those in need, it is also an excellent service opportunity for St. Edward students.

Another part of the service program at St. Edward is the Service Club. Moderated by Mr. Wanner, the club is for students who want to serve their community, not merely to earn service hours. For the most part, students do not count the hours of work done during Service Club as part of their Community Service requirement. The main event that the Service Club sponsors is the Blood Drive, which occurs three times a year. The fall blood drive this year set a record for all fall blood drives by collecting 56 pints of blood as opposed to the previous record of 51. The Winter Blood Drive, also known as “Battle of the Blood,” is the event when St. Edward goes against rival St. Ignatius for bragging rights. Besides the Blood Drive, the Service Club organizes trips to the Ennis Court Nursing Home to assist the nurses as well as the patients. Composed of fifteen consistent members, the Service Club is a club of open participation, therefore any St. Edward student is welcome to join.

All students at St. Edward know about service requirements, and the last minute rush to fulfill hours. However the Campus Ministry office, led by Mr. Chrosniak, is in the process of altering those service hour requirements. The hope is to make service purely agency-based in an effort to better serve our community. Catholic Schools for Peace and Justice, also known as CSPJ, recently organized the famous “St. Ed’s Box Night.”  At Box Night, 45 students got a firsthand experience of homelessness, and how fortunate St. Ed’s is as a community to return to a home each night. Campus Ministry however puts on more events than just Box Night. In addition to Box Night, Campus Ministry sponsors the following activities throughout the year: School of the Americas Rally and Protest, Thanksgiving food drive, homeless retreat, the giving tree for the Fatima Family Center, sophomore service retreats, the clothing drive in January, the penny war and bagged lunches for the St. Augustine Hunger Center during Lent, Eagles on Foot, the VSA Arts in Ohio festival, and Garfield School Homework Help program.

No matter how many activities or events the faculty and administration organize for service, it is ultimately the students who need to step up to the challenge. If every student at St. Edward did the minimum requirement for service, over 13,000 hours of service would be provided by the St. Edward community. The education St. Edward offers would not be complete without the service programs, and all students should make the most out of these wonderful opportunities.