By Charlie Levin

As the holiday season begins, people are beginning to plan their feasts: turkey, cranberries, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, it all sounds so good… 

But this is also a time of year to reflect. We are lucky.. We can afford food. But, it is important to remember that some families don’t have that luxury. 

A constant at East has been the Food Drive, where we, as classes, compete to donate the most amount of food. It is a positive experience for all. Friendly competition is fun and we are doing a good deed. If friendly competition doesn’t do it, note that winning the Inter Class Food Drive Competition means money towards your class! Donating food to help others eat also means cheaper dances like JDD or Prom.

This year, we are donating to The Turkey Basket Project of Western New York, where we are on track to donate enough food to support over 450 families this holiday season. The Food Drive makes its way to families all over Western New York through various organizations including the Buffalo City Mission, the Community Action Organization, Women’s Respite Program, Hispanic United of Buffalo, City of Buffalo Senior Services, and many more. Indeed, the Food Drive has a very large range of benefits for the people of Buffalo, and a very great cause to get involved in.

In the past, East High School has been a huge benefactor in the community. In 2023, a total of 473 meals were distributed to charities city wide, including churches, schools, and social service centers. Each meal included a frozen turkey, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, two cans of vegetables, two cans of fruit, a bag of potatoes, and a dessert. In total, that is a whopping 4,250 items of food! 

The 2025 Food Drive has been going on for a few weeks now and is off to a great start! With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it is not too late to help. You can assist in supporting families all across the area and help them have a Thanksgiving to remember. You can also see Dr. Redmond for the possibility of an individual action.

Up until November 21, the donation bins, organized by grade level, will be in the main office, math office, and business office ready to collect. We still need canned vegetables and fruits, boxed stuffing mix and mashed potatoes, cranberries, desserts, like brownie and cake mix, and other Thanksgiving staples. 

Please help families to have a thanksgiving to remember all while participating for a chance to win money for your grade level! Happy Thanksgiving!