Students Organize Food For Friends Club

Members of the recently founded Food for Friends Club at Garden City High School made three large pizzas this spring and delivered them to the Mary Brennan Inn in boxes donated by Garden City Pizza. The pizzas were just one of many items the students donated to the Inn over the course of the school year.

During the 2006-2007 school year, students in Food for Friends, a new club at Garden City High School, donated more than 200 pounds of food to the Mary Brennan Inn in Hempstead. The club also reached out to students affected by the April shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech. Most donated items were made from scratch by club members, and some were gathered in a food or clothing drives.

Food for Friends was founded by students Devin Carroll and Jessica Atkinson last September. Other members of the group include Liz Beaty, Jess Bendert, Marykate Breslin, Gavin Crisafulli, Chris Critelli, Sara Hayes, Courtney Hunt, Salman Khalid, Kasey Leuffer, Will Manning, Liz Moynihan, Jackie Norcini, Emily Norell, Greg Priest, Amanda Server, Johnny Shepland, Catherine Shine, Matt Strong, Lauren Sullivan, Katrina Tringa, and Collen Vaughn.

"This is a group of very thoughtful caring students," Advisor and Consumer Science Teacher Pat Muller said. "The community will be pleased to know of their good works."

During the year, club members prepared 85 different types of sandwiches, baked 22 loaves of pumpkin bread and four large trays of ziti, assembled four large Easter baskets, and prepared rice crispy treats for guests at the Inn. They also delivered four 25-pound turkeys, 12 bags of stuffing, and three large homemade pizzas. One project went beyond food: a Winter Gear Drive that garnered more than 30 gloves, hats, and scarves for Inn guests.

The tragedy at Virginia Tech prompted the club to broaden its scope beyond Long Island. On hearing of the shootings, club members organized a food drive to gather snacks and canned goods that were quickly shipped south to affected students.

Ms. Carroll and Ms. Atkinson are co-presidents of Food for Friends. They say the club plans to continue its activities in the coming school.