| Central Middle steps up to the plate for Thanksgiving |
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By: MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer
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Posted: Sunday, November 23, 2008 7:30 am
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Central Middle School wants to make a difference in the community and students lives by providing a free, hot meal for Thanksgiving, the school principal said.
“As a community school, CMS believes in the community and desires to make a difference in the lives of the students, as they are our community,” CMS Principal Cary Holman explained.
And CMS is making a difference with Project Feed, a community outreach program to help feed needy families during the holidays.
“The idea of providing free Thanksgiving meals for families in need came about last year,” Holman explained. “The administration and school clubs sought ways to give back to the community. As a result, ‘Project Feed’ was birthed.”
And from Project Feed grew the annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner.
Holman said many school clubs and community businesses, as well as faculty, staff and students, teamed up for the first Thanksgiving Community Dinner last year and Project Feed fed 200 families.
“We felt it was a win-win situation,” Holman said. “Students were extremely excited about being able to help many families. … It is our goal to prepare 400 meals this year.”
Community partners and the school have stepped up to the plate again this year to serve free, hot meals of typical Thanksgiving fare from 3-5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the CMS cafeteria, Holman said.
Students also worked and collected canned goods that were used by school clubs to assemble “Ready Meals” for families to take home after the Thanksgiving supper.
“A community that works together stays together,” Holman said.
Murfreesboro City Schools also works with the community and provides a similar service for English-learner families with the ELL Holiday Cooking Class and Luncheon.
The luncheon will be held 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the Bradley Academy.
Families will learn how to prepare traditional American holiday food and also bring and share dishes and recipes of their own.
Murfreesboro City Schools Community Outreach Coordinator Candy Clifford started this tradition as a way to introduce immigrant families to American culture.
Last year was the first ELL Thanksgiving Dinner, and Clifford has held cooking classes in the past to teach parents the basics of a turkey dinner.
She has also done other things to introduce immigrants to all aspects of American culture, like tours of Cannonsburgh to teach history and City Hall to teach about government.
“We do these things because, if you understand the United States and our customs, then you’ll do better in our schools,” Clifford said previously.
Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfeesboropost.com. |
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