Students collect for Christmas dinner

By Denise Dick | December 17, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Youngstown

Students at St. Christine School collected supplies Thursday to provide Christmas dinner to people who are less fortunate.

Cynthia Ricci, a fourth-grade teacher at the school, said 18 home rooms made lists of what constitutes a Christmas dinner. The children then brought in those items.

“We had everything from stuffing to bread, to napkins, cups, plates and beverages,” Ricci said.

For several years, the school has been collecting canned goods for needy families, but last year, Colleen Boyle, director of religious education at the school, came up with the idea to adopt families instead.

Boyle worked with the St. Vincent de Paul Society to find people in need, Ricci said.

“As you can see, it’s more than a feast, it’s a feast plus,” Ricci said, indicating boxes stuffed with food.

Students brought in money to buy gift cards so families could purchase nonperishable food items.

Second-grader Anna Morgione, 8, brought in cans of mandarin oranges and pineapple for her classroom’s adopted family.

It’s not really a Christmas staple at Anna’s house, “but we have it with dinner a lot,” she said.

She hopes the family enjoys what she and her classmates collected for them.

Jailon Perry, 14, an eighth-grader, agrees.

“I hope it lasts them,” he said. “I just think being able to sit down for dinner with your family at Christmas time is probably priceless.”

First-grader Thomas Goss, 6, brought apple juice and hopes the family enjoys it.

Grace Leslie, 7, also a first-grader, brought cake mix and icing.

“It’s confetti and chocolate,” she said. “They can make cupcakes or a cake. And I brought soup for extra.”