Chatterton Students Feed 13 Families With School-Wide Food Drive

MERRICK, NY. — Chatterton School’s fifth-and-sixth-grade student councils teamed up to fight hunger this Thanksgiving, spending their lunch period Friday sorting donations from a school-wide food drive and putting together boxes to deliver holiday essential food items to 13 Merrick families.

The food donation was advised by sixth-grade teacher Laura Bonet, alongside her co-teacher Lindsay Zender and the school’s social worker Marisa Taddeo. The boxes were delivered to families personally by school staff, keeping recipient identities confidential for privacy reasons.

While Bonet oversaw the students’ work, the teacher said the annual tradition wouldn’t get off the ground without generosity from students, families and staff.

“Giving back is one of the most powerful lessons we can teach our students,” Bonet said. “When they see the impact their kindness has on others, it stays with them long after the holiday season.”