The annual Thanksgiving Basket Initiative is a collaboration between the Hudson Falls High School Student Council, National Honor Society, Primary School classrooms and the District Social Work team that provided 50 families in the Hudson Falls School Community with a turkey, pie and all the trimmings for the holiday. This initiative connected families, students, staff and alumni and supported the spirit of kindness and giving across the community. Of the collaborative effort, Student Council co-president, MaryJane Mazurak said, ”Unifying the groups allowed us to give back and create a positive impact on the community that we live and go to school in.”
Primary School classes took on a new challenge to fill a basket with the entire Thanksgiving meal. Their efforts reached a record 25 complete Thanksgiving baskets donated! Additional collection boxes were filled at the Kindergarten Center, Intermediate, Middle and High Schools by students and staff which was able to account for the remaining 25 baskets. To top it all off, NHS students demonstrated their baking skills in the production of 40 pies! A special mention to the Hudson Falls High School class of 1970 who made a donation to the Student Council that helped purchase discounted turkeys from our local Hannaford store.
The week leading up to Thanksgiving, Mrs. Burrall’s second graders took all of the Primary School donations and organized donations with their school buddies from Mrs. Hogan’s room. Over 32 boxes of turkey roasting pans, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, peas and more were delivered to the High School so the NHS and Student Council students could prepare for distribution. The high school cafeteria was quickly transformed into a food distribution site for community members.
Monday before Thanksgiving, recipients were greeted by students and staff to load their baskets and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving. A special thank you to our dedicated corps of social workers who delivered to those in need of transportation assistance.
The Student Council would like to thank everyone involved. Val Burnell Student Council co-president noticed, “this year went so much smoother and student volunteers made a huge difference. It helps us all to be better people and bring awareness to the needs of our community. It feels so good to make a difference.” It was truly a districtwide effort that demonstrated our commitment to character education and service to others. It takes a village…and we are so grateful to live in that village with our extended school community!
