November is a time to enjoy family, but it is also a time to be thankful and give back.

Thousands of food drives are hosted each year in Connecticut around Thanksgiving. Last year, Connecticut collected a total of 490,000 meals, and hopes to collect even more through food drives and soup kitchens this November.
Convent of the Sacred Heart’s Head of Community Service and Campus Ministry, Mrs. Lori Wilson said, “It is important to give all the time, but during Thanksgiving people are usually more compelled to give because of the holiday season. Thanksgiving is about being aware of all that you have.”
Sacred Heart’s Community Service Club holds an annual food drive for Thanksgiving. Students were encouraged to place non-perishable items and grocery store gift cards in boxes that lined the Upper School hallways, each labeled with an advisory name.
“The families that receive the food and gift cards we collect are very appreciative because they cannot always afford a celebratory Thanksgiving meal,” Sacred Heart senior Maggie Ellison, Community Service Club co-head, said.
The school distributed the canned goods to Neighbor to Neighbor, a non-profit organization in Greenwich, Connecticut, that provides food and clothing for low-income families in the area. Food was also delivered to the Carver Center in Port Chester, New York, an organization that meets the needs of underprivileged youth.
The gift cards went to Casa Esperanza in the Bronx, New York, an organization that works with immigrants in Yonkers, New York.
“We are trying to help girls become women for others,” Mrs. Wilson said. “If they can realize that one child goes to bed hungry, they begin to appreciate what they have and care more about others.”
After two weeks, Sacred Heart collected a total of $2,155 in gift cards and three SUV’s filled with food. The senior class  collected the most food. The advisory that topped the count was the Simpson/Wilson advisory. The Casey and Padilla advisories took the second and third spots.
“Thanksgiving is a time to remember our own blessings and to give to others who may be less fortunate,” Maggie said.
– Alana Galloway, Staff Writer