Spreading the Thanksgiving spirit

Molly McGreevy, an eighth grader at St. Michael Catholic School, worked with friends to create Thanksgiving baskets for families at DePelchin Children’s Center.

In fall 2013, my mom and I decided it would be fun to do something for the community. As we looked through the many ways we could help, I read about these Thanksgiving baskets that people make for children in foster care and their families. I love Thanksgiving! The yummy food, being with my family and the idea of bringing that into someone else’s home really appealed to me.

I spoke with two of my friends, Olivia Ison and Caroline Kunetka, and they both wanted to help. We broke the project into three parts. I worked with Debbie Gregg, the volunteer services coordinator at DePelchin Children’s Center, to determine what needed to go in the baskets and what grocery store was best for us to get gift cards from, as well as when to deliver the baskets. My friend Olivia built a sample basket so we could get an idea of what each one would cost. We found out that each basket cost $50 and would contain a $25 gift card for a turkey plus a box of stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, canned vegetables, gravy, cranberry sauce, brownie mix, paper towels, napkins and foil.

My friend Caroline built the website we used to fundraise. We sent the link to our friends and family in hopes of raising $500 to build 10 baskets. We couldn’t believe how generous everyone was. We ended up raising $1,200 and were able to make 24 baskets.

The day we delivered the baskets, we also helped organize the volunteer services’ warehouse for the holiday season. One of the social workers came in asking if there were any spare baskets. A foster family’s home had burned down, and they needed food and supplies. We helped her gather clothing, toys and baskets and loaded them in her car.

I learned so much through this project about how to work in a team, how to set a budget, and how to grocery shop, and, most importantly, I learned about giving back to my community. We can’t wait to see how this year goes.

Editor’s note: Molly and her friends will be raising money to build baskets again this Thanksgiving. To donate, see http://tilt.tc/j4C17.

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