Photo courtesy of Spain Park Band
Spain Park band during a game between Spain Park and Calera on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, at Ricky M Cairns Memorial Football Stadium. Photo by: Michael Jackson
Approximately 170 Spain Park High School band students are spending this fall on a fundraising campaign that doubles as a community service project, packing meals for families in the Birmingham area and in Ghana.
The Pride of the Park band has partnered with Meals to Missions, a local company, for the effort. Students are working toward packing 10,000 meals, which will benefit families locally through Grace Klein Community, a nonprofit that provides relief to the poor and disadvantaged, as well as families in small villages, schools and orphanages in Ghana.
Beyond meals, the organization's partners in Ghana also provide education, agricultural training, medical services and support for at-risk children and women in the communities served.
The campaign also supports the Pride of the Park band program, helping fund instruments, uniforms, marching equipment, auxiliary equipment, transportation and travel, and other costs associated with the music program.
Students are being encouraged to take ownership of the fundraiser by reaching out to friends, family members and local businesses for support. Meals to Missions recognizes students who reach individual fundraising milestones with Community Impact and Global Impact awards.
The band's fundraising goal is $50,000, with a first milestone of $25,000 needed for students to take part in the meal-packing experience. As of late August, the campaign had raised $21,189 from 213 donations, with 147 people registered across four grade-level fundraising teams.
The Spain Park Band's Meals to Missions Packing Party is scheduled for Sept. 19, when students plan to package 10,000 meals.
Courtney Sims, president of the Spain Park Band Boosters, said the partnership combines fundraising with hands-on service, giving students a chance to support their own program while also making a difference for others.
The band program is guided by five core values known as PRIDE: perseverance, respect, integrity, discipline and excellence.
More information on the campaign is available at p2p.onecause.com/spain-park-band/challenge.
