Since September 2014, Sunday school students at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Marion have raised money for the following charities: the Fairhaven Animal Shelter, care packages to deployed military service members and Heifer International.

Fundraising efforts included selling hand-drawn Christmas card sets, bake sales and solicitation of direct donations from the congregation. Overall, the children sent 22 care packages to servicemen in five overseas deployments and on one aircraft carrier. Students raised $5,180 in cash.

On May 28, they gathered at the Fairhaven Animal Shelter to present Mattapoisett Animal Control Officer Kelly Massey with a check for $1,727. The students visited the cats and dogs in the shelter and learned how the donation would provide care for the animals.

The remaining money is being split between Any Soldier Inc., an organization that provides support and care packages to deployed troops, and Heifer International. After the April and May earthquakes in Nepal, the students voted to direct their Heifer funds to that organization’s Nepal Disaster Relief efforts. Each charity received $1,727.

For more information on the program, contact Christina Bonney at christinabonney@gmail.com.