Food items have already started piling up for the Newtown Middle School Student Council’s food drive to collect for the Women Involved in Newtown’s (WIN) yearly Thanksgiving Baskets campaign.

According to Nadia Papalia, one of the advisors for the Student Council, the middle school’s collection will be open until November 22. Along with middle school students being encouraged to bring in donations to their homerooms, Ms Papalia said members of the community can also drop donations off at the school’s main office with a note for the donation to go to her.

On Friday, November 22, members of WIN will stop at the school, and other locations that are holding collections, to pick up all items for this year’s Thanksgiving Baskets program. WIN’s Mandy Monaco said Middle Gate Elementary School, Sandy Hook Elementary School, and Fraser Woods Montessori School are also working to collect items for the group’s Thanksgiving Baskets program. She also said the Newtown High School Leo Club has adopted a family for this year’s program.

Mrs Monaco also said Berkshire Motors, 25 Berkshire Road, has set up a tent on its premises to collect food items for the program.

According to WIN, the Thanksgiving Baskets program is a townwide drive to provide local families food to last from Thanksgiving into the holiday season. Social Services compiles a list of families in need in the Newtown area, which is kept confidential, and WIN matches participating organizations with a family or donations are matched with a family’s need.

Mrs Monaco said as of Tuesday, November 5, there are 58 families signed up to be recipients of this year’s Thanksgiving Baskets campaign, but she said WIN is expecting roughly 30 more families to sign up before November 22.

WIN supplies butter, milk, eggs, and bread for the cause, but everything else is in need, including turkeys. Cleaning products and hygiene products, like shampoo and tooth paste, are also needed.

Ms Papalia said the middle school is focusing on collecting cereals or other dry breakfast goods and toiletries this year.

Once all the items are collected, Mrs Monaco explained volunteers will help sort everything at the United Methodist Church on November 22. Mrs Monaco said people interested in volunteering can contact her at 203-426-5600 or on her cell phone 203-994-5252.