Students in Chelmsford are trying to make someone’s Thanksgiving a bit happier, one item of food at a time. They’re part of a long tradition at their school that aims to instill selflessness.
Sitting down for a meal is something many people take for granted, and it’s how some eighth graders at McCarthy Middle School in Chelmsford may have felt just last year. But now they're part of a movement four decades in the making.
"What started with a goal of collecting 300 canned items..you know, a few staff members in the social studies department, said Kurt McPhee, the school's principal. "Now we annually collect 26,000 food items a year."
"It's nice to know that there’s a lot of people that still want to help other people even though they won’t get anything in return," student Nick Vosnakis said.
It’s one of the largest school-based food drives in the area, according to McPhee. It runs each fall around veteran’s day. The items gathered by students are loaded onto a truck for the Salvation Army of Greater Lowell.
The students are proud of their effort to help others, especially veterans.
"We have food and a shelter to live in and sometimes people don’t," eighth grader Cailin Deutschmann said. "And they help save our country."
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"Even if you don’t know the people you’re giving the food too, it still feels good you’re helping someone out," said Natalie Finn.
"You always see stuff on the news, the bad stuff, but its good to see the good stuff, because there is a lot of good stuff and I like to be a part of the good stuff,” said student Stella Lamson.
