Students in Elizabethtown Area School District (EASD) recently held annual food drives so they could provide food boxes to local residents in need.

As a result of Bainbridge Elementary School's weeklong effort to collect nonperishable food items, 10 families in need in the Bainbridge community were provided with a food basket containing many of the items needed for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Additionally, students brought in household items such as paper towels, napkins, and plastic ware to go along with the food baskets.

At Mill Road Elementary School, with a schoolwide focus on giving and gratitude, students brought in over 120 nonperishable food items like canned gravy, canned corn and vegetables, instant potatoes, stuffing, instant macaroni and cheese, and canned soups. Through the students' efforts, three families from the Elizabethtown community received a Thanksgiving food box. The school planned to give any leftover food items to the local Community Cupboard.

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Elizabethtown Area Middle School's students, faculty, and staff took part in the school's annual Feathers for Families program. This year's fundraising initiative raised more than $3,695, which was used to purchase traditional Thanksgiving food items. As a result, 16 families from the greater Elizabethtown area received Thanksgiving food baskets containing all the ingredients for a Thanksgiving dinner, including a gift certificate for a turkey, a vegetable, bread, potatoes, yams, stuffing, and gravy. The baskets also included other items the families could use for the entire day like coffee, cereal, and juice. The Feathers for Families program has steadily grown since it was launched in 1995. In the initiative's first year, the school raised $750 to put together food baskets for eight families.

As part of EASD's Life Ready Model, students participate in altruistic projects to extend their learning beyond the school system's four walls. These experiences aim to empower students to give back to their community and build the foundation to become productive adult citizens.