Wantagh schools host food drives

“It’s very, very nice to help people in need,” said Carlo Tobia, a Wantagh Middle School eighth-grader and Student Council president. “I love helping people out.”

Carlo and his fellow Student Council members spearheaded a Thanksgiving food drive to help needy families in Wantagh. Across the way, at the high school, students have also been doing their part to ensure that those in need would have an enjoyable — and filling — holiday season.

A group of teachers at the middle school identified families in need of food for Thanksgiving, and ensured that it would get to them in time for the holiday. In addition to the non-perishable items collected by students, each family also received a supermarket gift card for turkeys, fruit, vegetables and other fresh items. Liberty Mutual of Wantagh made a donation to make that happen.

Carlo and his Student Council vice presidents, Brandan Schroh, an eighth-grader, and Kate Padgett, a seventh-grader, made sure to get the word out to their classmates to bring in food. They also helped sort the donations before the items were delivered to families.

“It’s the holiday season coming up,” Brandan said, “and it’s really important to give happiness.” He said he hoped the receiving families would have an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

“It’s just really important to give back,” Kate added. “We want everybody to be thankful for something.” She said she hoped the food drive at school would inspire other students to find a way to help the community.

The Student Council is led by Lisa Dunn and Gina Barodin, who said they were proud of the efforts of their members and all the students, staff members and businesses that contributed to the drive.

Working together at the high school

The International Thespian Society and the General Organization at Wantagh High School are holding a joint food drive for the first time.

In the past, the Thespian Society collected food before Halloween, and the General Organization took care of Thanksgiving. The students and their advisers decided that by combining efforts, they could really make a difference.