73 Families To Have a Special Christmas Thanks to Framingham Honor Students

Tuesday, visitor after visitor to Framingham High School left the auditorium area with a smile and in the Christmas spirit.

It wasn’t a production by the arts department bringing Christmas cheer, but Framingham High students in the National Honor Society delivering gifts for needy Framingham children and food for their families.

Continuing a tradition that dates back to the 1940s, a couple hundred juniors and seniors in the high school’s National Honor Society began working on the annual holiday drive in November, said advisor Susan Corcoran.

Led by student leader Darya Herscovici, the Society helped 73 families in Framingham this year, from every Framingham public elementary and middle school in town.

In November, social workers from each of the elementary and middle schools give us folders, with information about each needy family, said Herscovici. The social workers identified families with both a financial issue but also those in distress, including health issues.

The file tells us the number of children in the family, and a little information about each of the kids, like what they like and what they may want for the holidays, said Herscovici. Students know first names and ages of children, but not last names.

Then, Society members are paired up and assigned a homeroom at Framingham High, explained Herscovici.

Each pair is in charge of fundraising and collecting food for their family.

In November, Framingham High students are asked to donate non-perishable food for these families, said Herscovici.

Then, Society members organize the food at the school, and package it for families to be delivered Christmas week, explained the Framingham High senior.

Framingham High students, in each homeroom, are then asked to donate clothes and cash to help make Christmas special for each child.

Each homeroom raises a different amount; but two can drives were held last month at Stop & Shop supermarkets in Framingham to a raise additional funds so all the shopping can take place in December, explained co-advisor Shane Galvin.

Herscovici said this year the freshmen homerooms raised the most money.

Plus additional funds came from the Framingham Teachers Association, said advisor Corcoran. The Society received donations of more than $750 from FTA.

Corcoran said two teachers matched what their homeroom students raised. One teacher donated $260 and another $400 via matching donations, said Corcoran.

With the fundraising complete, each pair of Honor Society students then went shopping for clothes and toys for the children in their folder, explained Herscovici.

Children being helped range from birth to grade 8.

Families range from those with an only child to one family, that had 7 children, said Herscovici.

About $60 is spent on each kid, said Herscovici, who said the goal is to get one big toy and two small gifts for each.

She said bargain shoppers like herself, are able to stretch the money raised to make sure it is a wonderful holiday for each of the 70-plus families.

Herscovici, who works part time for TJ Maxx, said she shopped their for many of the items for her family.

Students also shopped at Marshalls, Christmas Tree Shops, ToysRus, Wal-Mart, and Target.

With all the shopping complete, on Tuesday morning, Dec. 22, the honor students wrapped gift after gift for 2.5 hours in the high school’s auditorium.

Then families were invited to come to the high school and collect their boxes and bags until 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The few families, who could not pick up their items, had their gifts and food delivered by students.

Galvin tried to have the students, who shopped for a certain family, help that family with their turkey, box of food and gifts to their vehicle on Tuesday.

“It is so nice to see the smiles on their faces,” said Herscovici, who added the smiles extend to her fellow Honor Society members too.

“It’s great to know that we are helping make the holiday special for a family, who lives in the community like us,” said Herscovici.

“It’s wonderful to see the whole school get involved in the holiday drive,” said Corcoran. “It really gets everyone into the Christmas spirit.”

The Holiday drive is the biggest event organized by the National Honor Society all year.

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Photos courtesy of National Honor Society member Casey Phalen and advisor Corcoran.