With some assistance from some Radford University interns, the school community of McHarg Elementary and Belle Heth Elementary schools collected and distributed 100 Thanksgiving Food Baskets to help families in need this holiday season.
The school put out a call for donated baskets or funds to purchase items at the beginning of November. Within a week, school employees, parents and community members answered the call with 100 donated turkeys and food baskets for those who requested one.
“This is our fifth year giving out food baskets to help our families celebrate Thanksgiving,” said Tara Grant, who serves as principal of the two schools. “It is one way to help the families of the kids we teach and love.
“This is a very difficult time in the world,” Grant said. “If this one act of kindness, of giving, helps relieve stress and anxiety for a family to share great memories, then we did what we set out to do. We are role models for our students. We want them to be community servants and help our community just like we are doing for them.”
Teacher Heather Rowland, who helped load food baskets into cars, said, “Parents were overjoyed with each basket of food and turkey that we placed in their cars. They were so appreciative and even a few had tears in their eyes.”
