With so many people facing food insecurity this holiday season, it’s important to give thanks for what we have and to share with those who may be struggling. That’s the message being embraced by the Ulster BOCES SkillsUSA club and Career & Technical Center staff, who are making sure that 25 local families have access to meals this Thanksgiving. Ashley, an Ulster BOCES SkillsUSA member from the New Paltz Central School District, along with Cosmetology instructor Kate Weston, Cisco & Cybersecurity instructor Dr. Kathy Landers, and Math teacher Bridget Ferrer, carved time out of their Friday afternoon to pack bags filled with fixings for a bountiful holiday meal.

The food drive, which is organized by the SkillsUSA club as one of their community service activities, provided bagged potatoes; canned pumpkins, green beans, corn and mushroom soup; stuffing; cranberry sauce; gravy; olives; and apple juice, all supplied by the Happy to Help Food Pantry in Kingston. Accompanying the traditional sides were frozen turkeys donated by the Career & Technical Center’s staff. The generosity doesn’t stop there, though. Stewart’s Shops donated money cards for 30 half gallons of ice cream, 30 cartons of eggs, and 30 half gallons of milk. Thank you to all who contributed and helped to make this effort a success!