Crispell’s Students Making a Difference Club really does make a difference!
The students organized its annual Thanksgiving can drive, where boxes are dropped in each classroom. The homeroom with the most donations wins a pizza party! Now that’s incentive.
The drive collected enough food to assemble 15 boxes, which will feed 15 local families. There was a lot of food remaining, which will be donated to our very own food pantry, located at Pine Bush High School. The boxes include an assortment of vegetables, cranberry sauce, stuffing, desserts and all of the fixings for that Thanksgiving meal.
Also included in the boxes are turkeys, thanks to a generous donation by Angela Wise-Landman, executive director of human resources for the district, and her husband, Jake Landman, owner of Butcher Boys of Monticello.
Allison Peifer, advisor to the Students Making A Difference Club, was thrilled with the amount of food her students were able to collect and distribute. The club has been doing this for the past five years and is happy to help the community.
Vanessa Winner, Ava Perillo, Mariam Mohammed and Hailei Conklin are eighth graders who have leadership roles in the club. They’ve been part of it for the previous two years. They spread the word throughout the school by the daily announcements and putting posters up throughout the halls. There was also a lot of word-of-mouth.
“We do lots of good things in our club,” said Ava.
“It’s very meaningful to us because it’s Thanksgiving and people are grateful for the help we give,” said Mariam.
“It’s a nice feeling to help others,” Ava added.
“These kids are amazing,” said Ms. Pfeifer, along with Jordan Donley, Crispell’s social worker who not only helps with the actual collection and distribution of the food, but also contacts the families who may be in need to ask if the group can help.
Students in homerooms decorated the sturdy boxes, which were donated by Baldwin Winery. The club members decorated the remaining ones so each family will have their food delivered in a festive box.
For the first time since the club has been coordinating the drive, Ms. Pfeifer’s homeroom actually won, bringing in more food than any other homeroom. Bravo!
Our district is so fortunate to have these generous, giving families who donate to their neighbors, as well as these students who do the legwork and get it all done. Great job to all.
Happy Thanksgiving.