The annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, Holiday Marketplace and CSO Gift Drive are fundamental parts of the holiday season at Germantown Academy, providing the community with a sense of purpose and giving while helping those in need.
“When you give or donate, you feel so much better about yourself and everyone else,” Taryn DiFranco ‘25 said. “It really adds to the positivity at GA. It’s really great.”
The Thanksgiving Food Drive, an event organized by GA’s Community Service Organization (CSO), aims to provide families in the Philadelphia area with Thanksgiving dinners.
“The Thanksgiving Food Drive’s goal is to feed 150 families in need of a Thanksgiving meal, from the turkey to all the sides and fixings, and that’s for the Lower and Middle School,” Mrs. Jennifer Brownstein, Co-Chair of the Thanksgiving Food Drive, said. “For the Upper School, it is to collect as much food as possible for those in need.”
The Thanksgiving Food Drive donations from the Lower and Middle School benefited the Lady of Hope Church in Philadelphia, while donations from the Upper School went to the Mattie Dixon cupboard in Ambler.
“We have similar goals to past years, but this year, as I mentioned, we’re adding a new feature to the Thanksgiving Food Drive collection: for the Lower Schoolers to help make desserts for Face 2 Face,” Mrs. Brownstein said.
The participation of the GA community ensures that as many people as possible receive the food they need during the holiday season.
“Students play a huge role in the success of the Thanksgiving Drive,” Mrs. Brownstein said. “They bring in literally thousands of pounds of food that is badly needed in our community, and without the hard work and dedication of our students, this would never happen.”
Aside from the food drive, GA also held its Holiday Marketplace on November 17th, an opportunity for vendors within the GA community to sell their products as gifts for the holidays.
“I’ve been to the holiday marketplace every year I’ve been here, and it’s really nice,” Amya Avery ‘28 said. “I love going around, seeing different things and different holidays and how they’re all celebrated, getting things for my family, presents for the holiday season.”
Additionally, in December, CSO organizes a holiday program in the spirit of giving back to the community. They collect toys, books and other items for less fortunate people.
“I love walking in and seeing the tables packed so high with presents,” DiFranco said. “It’s really cool to see, knowing where they’re going.”
To make this incredible feat happen, a lot of work must be done by many members of the GA community.
“We’ve been organizing connections and re-establishing connections to the organizations, setting up the actual delivery of the gifts, writing little blurb speeches for people to know where the gifts are going to,” Mr. Robert Moyer, CSO faculty sponsor, said. “Students will be setting up and putting on the presentation, including speeches, including organizing any activities we do.”
Although much of the program remains the same each year, there are always some subtle differences.
“Each year is actually based on the students who are the leaders, so there are some small differences,” Mr. Moyer said. “For example, this year, the decision to support Special Olympics comes from the fact that Jianna Kim is one of the leaders. And then we talked about it in the group, and they decided, yes, that will be the organization that we support.”
Through all these events, Germantown Academy builds a generous, upbeat and empathetic spirit around the holiday season, making it a special time to give to the community.