The Thanksgiving holiday is a perfect time to gather around a delicious meal and be grateful for the things that surround you. Thanks to the efforts of many at Emma C. Chase Elementary School, Monticello families in need were able to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal and experience that special moment.
The Thanksgiving meals were collected through donations to the backpack program at Chase Elementary. Requests made on the district’s Facebook page and communication with various people in the building expressed the desire of the school community to provide families in the program with a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner.
Those public requests in return yielded many bags filled with donations to the program. The biggest contributors were the Coddington, Marone and Gottlieb families. The Coddington family, parents to a teacher aide at Chase, provided turkeys and meals for two families. The Marone family, whose child attends Chase, donated numerous boxes of food items. Sue Gottlieb of the Gottlieb family donated various food items. Sue Gottlieb was once the Principal at Chase Elementary.
In addition, the Wood family has graciously donated $500 to the program for the past several years. Children from the Wood family once attended Chase Elementary. District employees also generously donated an assortment of food cards and items.
Furthermore, SunWize Power and Battery, a commercial solar power company in Saugerties, donated more than $500 worth of food items that included soups, macaroni, spaghetti noodles, beans, mashed potatoes and stuffing.
The donations were then gathered, assembled and delivered thanks to the efforts of Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Nittoli, Mrs. Ramos and her class, ensuring this Thanksgiving would be a great one for those in need. Students also assisted by creating placemats showing what they were thankful for.