Students and staff from two Questar III schools recently teamed up for a food donation drive to benefit the Windham Area Food Pantry.
Mari Warfel, school counselor at Catskill Academy and Lynn Seftner, career development specialist at Columbia-Greene Educational Center, coordinated the food drives in their respective schools.
Warfel, who volunteered for clean-up efforts in Windham after Hurricane Irene, said it was heartbreaking to see the devastation caused by the storms, and at the same time inspiring to see the efforts to rebuild. “Even though the storms occurred over the summer, I knew the food pantries in that area were still doing so much to assist with the relief efforts and any help they could get would be greatly appreciated.”
Students in both schools created posters, decorated boxes for classrooms and offices, and encouraged donations of non-perishable food items.
Catskill Academy Principal Jennifer Morris said it was wonderful to see students putting their creative skills to work for a good cause. “Volunteer activities create awareness for young people about the importance of helping others and what it means to be a good citizen in your local community.”
Jake Stomieroski, co-principal of Columbia-Greene Educational Center, agreed about the benefits of students helping organizations their community.
“In addition to this food donation drive, each year our students and their teachers devote many hours of their time and utilize their technical skills on a variety of projects in our area. Some of their projects have included working with Habitat for Humanity, a welding job at a local firehouse, and a fundraiser for a historic church. This offers the students a chance to use what they’ve learned at Questar III in real-life situations and to make a positive contribution to local nonprofit organizations.”
