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On Dec. 3, members of East Meadow High School’s National Honor Society donated $500 to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. 

Jack Nelson, an ambassador from Tunnel to Towers, was on hand to graciously accept their donation. The honor society raised money for the foundation through their second annual Fall Festival on Oct. 11. Tunnel to Towers helps America’s heroes by providing mortgage free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.  

 

Photo caption: On Dec. 3, members of East Meadow High School’s National Honor Society donated $500 to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

 

Photo courtesy of the East Meadow Union Free School District 

 

For the fifth consecutive year, the West Babylon Boys and Girls Cross Country and Track and Field teams came together to make the Thanksgiving holiday brighter for local veterans and families in need.

On a recent weekend, team members gathered at Lidl in West Babylon to collect donations of food and other essentials. Their goal? To ensure local veterans had a warm, fulfilling holiday meal. Any surplus donations were thoughtfully distributed throughout the community, extending the impact of their efforts even further.

This meaningful tradition was spearheaded by team mom Veronica Dockery, who worked tirelessly to organize the event and rally the community’s support. Her leadership and dedication, paired with the team’s enthusiasm and commitment, made this year’s collection another resounding success.

This annual initiative reflects the heart of West Babylon athletics: teamwork, compassion, and a commitment to giving back. It’s a powerful reminder of the difference we can make when we come together as a community.

Thank you to the team, their families, and everyone who contributed to this important cause. You are truly making a difference!

Photo caption: The Southampton High School Mariners Patriot Club, under the direction of Thea Fry, once again delivered over 200 turkey dinners to local veterans. The dinners were made possible through an extensive food drive hosted by the club members. The drive, along with the Patriot Club’s volunteer work, including an annual Veterans Day dinner, was recently recognized by the Hampton Bays Civic Association during a dinner at the Hampton Bays Senior Center.  

 

Photo courtesy of the Southampton Union Free School District

About 30 local families will have a bountiful Thanksgiving because of the efforts of Seaford High School student leaders. The student council recently wrapped up its annual food drive, collecting hundreds of nonperishable goods along with thousands of dollars. 

The month-long food drive featured donation bins at the high school, middle school and Harbor Elementary School, along with three drop-off spots in the community. All the food was collected on Nov. 25 and brought to the high school cafeteria, where student council members sorted it afterschool by category. Items included canned vegetables, cereal, cranberry sauce, pasta and sauce, potatoes, rice and stuffing. 

Students were also asked to make monetary donations during second period, with the incentive of a bagel breakfast to the class that gave the most. Those contributions totaled approximately $1,300 and was used to purchase fresh goods like turkeys, pies, produce and cider. Local businesses also donated $900 worth of restaurant gift cards, which were provided to the families along with the bags of food. 

“This is one of the best ways that we can give back,” student council President Megan Bloom said. “We don’t want anyone having a bad Thanksgiving. You want to put food on the table for kids.”

Megan explained that the food was carefully sorted to ensure that each family would receive a variety of items. Emily Richardson, the vice president, was in awe as she saw cafeteria tables covered in donations.

“It’s really special that so many people are helping out,” she said. “It’s a lot of food. It shows that the community is more like a family.”

 

Photo captions:

1: Seaford High School student council members sorted donations from the annual Thanksgiving food drive afterschool on Nov. 25.

2: Student council officers, from left, President Megan Bloom, Secretary Cameron Calderaro, Vice President Emily Richardson and Treasurer Dylan Malone helped spearhead the collection that netted hundreds of nonperishable goods.

3: Sophomore Isabella Dominguez, left, and freshman Isabella Matos checked expiration dates and sorted canned goods.

4: Calleigh Harten and Joseph Sanfilippo were among the helpers on Nov. 25.

5: Ninth grader Henry Brock was tasked with sorting mashed potatoes. 

 

Photos courtesy of the Seaford School District