12/22/16

By: Megan Hubbard

As the holidays are rolling around we all get excited about snow, lots of food, and presents. These are things most of us grew up to know. On Christmas eve and Christmas we all spend time with family in a warm home exchanging presents… But what about the homeless man that roams the streets doing whatever he can to stay alive? Our school had done things that are unimaginable. This year the student council wanted to raise money, collect toys, and collect food to donate to those in need. Acts of kindness like this are what I really see as giving back. There are so many people out there during the holidays that don’t have family, can’t give their children toys, that are starving, or that are rummaging between 3 jobs just to keep the lights on. I don’t think that people are aware of how grateful they really are to live the life they do even though it can be complicated at times.

Over 3,700 families in the Boston area are homeless and many more struggle with low income, housing issues,etc. There is nothing more than the feeling of being in your home surrounded by family but more than 1,500 families were living in hotels / motels in early 2015. Acts of kindness, groups, and fundraisers have really stepped up to help the people in need. Currently there are around 500 families living in hotels or motels. It’s amazing what we can do to help out other people, and that’s what the people of student council wanted to do The goal of this drive was to raise 2,016 items to donate. This goal was not reached as we had only collected 500 items. Even though we did not reach our goal it was still a fantastic amount of goods that were donated / given. All items stayed in Middleboro. Toys were given to those who wouldn’t have received any, food was given to the hungry, and money was given to those who needed a little extra towards things such as gas or electric. For everyone who participated, they had given all that they could and they should feel very proud of themselves for their act of kindness.

Student council members like Chase Holyoke wish to continue doing this yearly. With s year or two more of this event it might grow to be bigger and bigger. We hope that in the years to come that we will be able to continue to progress in the amount that we are able to give to those in need. Things like this really motivate me as well as some others to get more involved and help within the community. Anyone can make a difference especially around this time of the year. Student council is one of the core things about Middleboro High School. It consists of so many amazing people who push to do things like this. They Key Club has also recently set up an event called Heat To Eat. Remember that you can make a difference in the community by the smallest acts of kindness. Get involved and help out during the holidays!