The generosity of ninth graders at the Massapequa High School Ames Campus will ensure that local families have a bountiful Thanksgiving this year. The National Junior Honor Society recently concluded a food drive that resulted in the collection of hundreds of nonperishable items.
The drive ran from Oct. 9 to Nov. 14 and there was a steady stream of donations over the five weeks. Students could leave items on a cart outside the classroom of NJHS adviser Michelle Grossi each day. The donations ranged from canned vegetables to jars of gravy to boxes of pasta.
Honor society members made dozens of posters to promote the food drive, which were hung throughout the school. Once the food drive ended, they also helped to sort and boxed up the food, which would be donated to the food pantry at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Massapequa Park.
Ms. Grossi said the Thanksgiving food drive has been a long-standing annual tradition, and the promotion efforts of the NJHS members help make it a success every year. Students added that it feels good to give back to their community, like ninth grader Hailey Stalzer, who noted that it takes only a small donation to make a difference because when many people contribute, it adds up.
“Contributing to those in need during the holidays can make those families feel loved,” Noemi Purificato said.
Added Luci Bernstein, “Things that people take for granted can be something that other families greatly appreciate.”
Photo caption: The National Junior Honor Society at the Massapequa High School Ames Campus organized a nonperishable food drive for Thanksgiving.
Photo courtesy of the Massapequa School District
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