Westbury School District officials praised the community’s charitable efforts through the holiday season at its Tuesday, Jan. 13, board of education meeting.
“The holidays sometimes just bring out the best in people,” Superintendent Tahira DuPree Chase said.
She said that the district collected over 1,300 toys during its holiday drive to give back to those in need. Robert Troiano, the board’s president, spearheaded the mission, saying that giving back is in the heart of the local community.
“We at Westbury School District recognize families in need throughout the school year, but around the holidays, we pay closer attention,” she said.
Chase said that the district’s efforts extended back to Thanksgiving as well, as Westbury High School volunteers were able to give out over 100 turkeys to families.
Reginald Warren, the high school’s assistant principal, said he has been with the district for decades and doesn’t remember when they first started donating turkeys. He said that giving back this past Thanksgiving was even more difficult, due to the community’s fear of immigration enforcement showing up at their homes.
Warren said that when families saw that he, alongside other high school staffers and students, was at their homes, people opened the door.
Brendan Gallivan, the assistant superintendent for secondary curriculum and instruction, said that the common wants of Westbury families helped make the donations go smoothly.
“This is such a close-knit community and we are bound by mutual concerns and a mutual vision for what we want as a community and for our children,” he said.
Warren said people throughout the district help identify who is in need of meals during the holiday time, and Chase said that staffers also went out on Thanksgiving Day to ensure that families had meals.
Warren also said that the funding for the Thanksgiving donations came directly from Westbury High School staffers.
“It takes a village to raise these children,” Warren said while thanking those who helped.
Troiano said food scarcity in the community is staggering and that it is a good feeling to be able to help.“The look in people’s faces when you provide them with food, it makes it all worthwhile,” he said.
