Educators Of The Month: Oak Hill Elementary’s John And Michelle Mastandrea

For the past four years, John and Michelle Mastandrea have coordinated the Harvest for the Hungry: Kids Helping Kids drive at Oak Hill Elementary School. John is a fifth-grade teacher in his 15th year of education in Anne Arundel County and sixth year at Oak Hill. Michelle is a third-grade teacher who is in her 10th year of education in Anne Arundel County and fifth year at Oak Hill.

“It is such a joy to teach at Oak Hill. We live in the neighborhood. Our daughter is a student,” John said. “So we are fully immersed in this community and we absolutely love it.”

For the last 38 years, Anne Arundel County Public Schools and the Anne Arundel County Food Bank have partnered to hold the annual Harvest for the Hungry: Kids Helping Kids campaign in October. The program is the largest fundraiser for the food bank, bringing in about half of the yearly food and funds donated.

For many years, Oak Hill Elementary School has ranked among the top schools for total food donated. All of the campaign’s proceeds go to the food bank, which reported $47,684 raised and 71,741 pounds of food collected in 2024. At the time of this printing, the 2025 totals have not been tabulated.

“It’s really fun for the kids to see the donated food start to pile up,” said Michelle, who noted that young children may not have a sense of money collected, but they see the physical food items. “When a student asks, ‘Where does all the food go?’ we get to explain to them that the food stays right here, maybe even shared with someone who attends Oak Hill. Many students are surprised that one in 10 Anne Arundel County families are food insecure, and that includes families in Severna Park, so educating them on the importance of community service is very important.”

John said the students get excited to hear the updates as the campaign goes on, and they understand Oak Hill is one of the top donation schools. Michelle said when a student carries in a food item and drops it into a collection box or grocery cart, the campaign becomes very real. She also noted that some students fill their own suitcase with food and wheel it into school.

To keep the campaign fresh, the Mastandreas assign each week with a different theme, such as pajama week or sports jersey week, noting that students enjoy the spirit weeks.

“We don’t just collect food and money. We talk about the campaign, the need, and how the food helps people, maybe even someone they know,” John added. “We want the campaign to be the starting point of a lifelong awareness and spirit of giving and community service.”

Michelle said students are also encouraged to go shopping with their parents to intentionally choose a food item, whether it be something that their family enjoys or one of their favorite foods, adding she hopes the campaign is a family activity.

Donations for Harvest for the Hungry: Kids Helping Kids can be made year-round via the Anne Arundel County Food Bank website at www.aafoodbank.org/aacps. Be sure to designate your school.