Homelessness around the holidays: how Central gives back
- Grace Miller
- Dec 1, 2017
- 3 min read
From district-wide initiatives to individual volunteering, Central students and faculty lend a hand.
Every year, Central junior Lindsay Sekeres shares her holiday cheer in a special way.
She hopes this year will be no exception as she prepares to volunteer with LifePath Christian Ministries at a local homeless shelter during the holiday season.
“[Volunteering] really puts your life into perspective. You see people who don’t have a home or food come in and thank you for a warm meal. It’s truly humbling,” said Sekeres.
Sekeres says her family is to thank for instilling her values of service.
“One thing that is really important to my family is giving back, and serving at the soup kitchen every year is a great start. It’s a lot of fun working with my group of 10-15 girls. We work really well together. Plus, it’s so humbling seeing [the recipient] smile after receiving a meal,” said Sekeres.
Sekeres says that the holidays inspire a greater number of people to lend a hand, compared to the rest of the year.
“Around the holiday time, people are more willing to give, so you see more people volunteering at soup kitchens and ringing bells for The Salvation Army. The rest of the year, people do very little volunteering,” said Sekeres.
Throughout her years, Sekeres has made memories that she still cherishes.
“The first year my group served, we had no idea what we were doing so we were very disorganized and a little stressed. Being the very loud and musically inclined group that we are, we decided to sing Christmas songs while we worked. This helped pass the time, [but we didn’t know] that the people receiving the food could hear us in the other room. As they got their food, they kept complimenting us on our singing. Needless to say, we were quite embarrassed,” said Sekeres.
Similar to the work of Sekeres, Central’s own food pantry The Panther Pantry plays an integral role in helping the community during the holiday season.
Amy Musone, Central staff member involved in the Pantry, says that while food is collected all year, holidays are unique. “Over the holiday, in addition to being open each month, we make bags for families who are receiving holiday drive gifts. The last two years, we received 100 turkeys from York County Food Bank to distribute to families. One of the elementary schools did an extra collection at their school to collect holiday dinner fixings (cranberry sauce, gravy, potatoes, etc.) so that an entire meal could be shared,” said Musone.
The Panther Pantry runs year-round to ensure that local families are able to live with a bit more comfort. “The pantry is designed to provide Central families with supplemental food and household supplies. There are no regulations or stipulations for receiving food other than living in Central. We open the doors each month (typically the third Tuesday of the month). Families come to the pantry. We sometimes drop off food at homes or with staff for people in need,” said Musone.
Musone says that the community has been amazing in its efforts to aide the Panther Pantry. Past volunteers include, but aren’t limited to: Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, CYHS Marching Band, Leg Up Farms, Stony Brook and Computer Science Honor Society.
“We truly feel blessed by the support our community has given us,” said Musone. “Continued support is appreciated. It can be volunteering, donating, or reimagining ways in which the pantry can reach people.”
