TJ clubs get into the holiday spirit by sending out Thanksgiving baskets to families in need.
Photo by Abby Montgomery
The holiday season is a time for giving and helping others, which is why each year in November the Thomas Jefferson DECA Chapter puts together Thanksgiving baskets to distribute to families in need throughout the Denver community.
This year, DECA is teaming up with the Interact Club and the Senior Leadership class to create and send out the baskets. “We do this every year to help families in the community celebrate a holiday that shouldn’t have to do with whether you can afford a Thanksgiving dinner or not,” said DECA Vice President Daniela Cardona.
With the help from Interact Club and their Advisor Danny Showers, they were able to add turkeys to the baskets this year to give each family a real Thanksgiving dinner. The leadership class did its part by making and decorating large boxes for the items to go in. “Putting everything together is definitely more time consuming than you might think, but the families receiving the baskets really appreciate it,” said TJ Social Worker Sharon Kent, who is responsible for organizing the event.
Each basket contains one turkey, along with other Thanksgiving items including cake mixes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pie crust, gravy, green beans, soup, and more. Ten to fifteen baskets will be put together to send out to different families in the community. The baskets will be sent out early this week in order for the families to receive them before Thanksgiving. “It’s an annual tradition that students actually look forward to because it’s a feel good type of program,” said Chapter Advisor Matt Nicolo.
“Part of our mission in DECA is to support our community as best we can, and it’s a pleasure to give aid to any disadvantages some families may have,” said DECA President April Regas.
