Career and Technical Education (CTE) students showed thanks this holiday season by helping their community. On November 21, 2023, Culinary Arts & Hospitality students from the F. Donald Myers Education Center in Saratoga Springs, and the Saratoga Wilton Kiwanis Club prepared 130 holiday food baskets for local families in need in what they call “Operation Turkey.”
Key Club students and Kiwanis volunteers set up tables and food stations to create the Thanksgiving bags, which will be delivered by volunteers to families in need, seniors, shut-ins and area shelters. The effort is spearheaded by the Culinary Arts program and assisted by Exceptional Learners classes.
The Kiwanis club provided all the food needed to prepare a healthy Thanksgiving meal.
The event is spearheaded by Chef Maureen Clancy who is retired from the WSWHE BOCES Culinary department and is on the board of the Kiwanis. Chef Celeste David is the culinary instructor at the Myers center who works with her students to be a part of this yearly event. Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner joins the group each year to help put together the baskets and support the community.
This year, the food will assist Wellspring, Saratoga Community Hospice, Catholic Charities, Saratoga Mentoring Program, AIM Services, Saratoga Seniors, BOCES Migrant Education and BOCES Exceptional Learners Division.
Chef Celeste David says, “our program has had a long tradition of supporting the community through this effort. It is particularly relevant since a number of the baskets will be going to families of F. Donald Myers Education students themselves. Helping address food insecurity is an important issue for our students since they are training to work in the hospitality industry.”
CTE is happy to support community service projects as it helps students to understand the importance of giving back to their community.
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