Quick look: Schools across Orange County organized Thanksgiving food drives and donation efforts to provide meals, essentials and cheer to local families just ahead of the holidays.
As many reflect on the meals they shared with loved ones this Thanksgiving, countless families across Orange County were able to enjoy a fuller holiday thanks to school-led donation drives.
In school districts across the county, students and staff found creative ways to give back, strengthening community ties while they worked to bring a little extra support and cheer to the holidays. That generosity was on full display at Sunny Hills High School in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District.
Students in the school’s Associated Student Body teamed up with the Parent Teacher Student Association to collect more than 1,550 pounds of food, assembling 93 baskets for families served by Pathways of Hope, which supports those experiencing hunger and homelessness. Their efforts echoed a larger movement of giving taking place across local campuses.
At El Rancho Charter School in Orange Unified, students donated 74 blankets to the Blankets for Buddies nonprofit to support animals in shelters. Meanwhile, Dwyer Middle School students in Huntington Beach assembled 300 personalized birthday cake kits for families visiting First Christian Church’s food pantry.
That same spirit of service was seen across OCDE’s alternative education program, known as ACCESS, where multiple school sites hosted Thanksgiving drives tailored to the needs of the community.
The Magnolia Lyceum site held its first turkey giveaway, providing 43 families with turkeys and dinner sides. At Santiago Creek, OCDE teachers and staff helped organize their annual drive-thru event that distributed 253 meal kits complete with gift cards for holiday entrees of each family’s choosing.
For a closer look, the OCDE Newsroom has compiled a roundup of posts highlighting food drives and donation efforts led by students and educators to ensure families could gather around a full table this season.