Every year, as Thanksgiving break rolls around, students arrive at school with enormous amounts of Thanksgiving foods. When they can be seen carrying oversized bags filled with groceries, it is safe to say that Thanksgiving break–and Stone Ridge’s annual Thanksgiving basket tradition–is right around the corner. Advisories compete against each other to see who can make the most Thanksgiving baskets for charities which then distribute these baskets to people who may not have otherwise had Thanksgiving dinner. But where exactly do these baskets go?
There are thousands of charities throughout the Washington, D.C. area, but we chose to give these baskets to Crossway Communities in Kensington, Friends in Action in Rockville, Community Service Center in Gaithersburg, Montgomery Family Services in Silver Spring, and The National Center for Children and Families. We chose these charities because we know what work they do. We also wanted to choose organizations that interact directly with the families we are donating our groceries and time to.
Eight years ago, we would make only about 100 baskets, which would all be given to Catholic Charities. Thanksgiving baskets then became a much bigger tradition about four or five years ago. Ms. Gonzales, the Thanksgiving baskets coordinator and Director of Upper School Campus Ministry, wanted to “think globally but act locally,” she says. This inspired her to expand to multiple charities throughout our local community, Montgomery County.
Madison Bryant, ’17, loves “knowing that we are providing families in need with the ingredients necessary to have a happy and authentic thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving baskets are a great way to kick off the spirit of giving that we strive to live by throughout the holiday season.
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