‘Pass the Turkey’ provides food for EF families

Organizer Crista Scalfari said they fed 72 families this year.

The 11th annual “Pass the Turkey” initiative that feeds K-12 families for Thanksgiving took place Monday at Elizabeth Forward Middle School.

Elizabeth Forward Middle School teacher Rachel Egan, middle, helped students Michael Sostaric, left, and Tanner Egan pack Thanksgiving baskets for families on Monday. Courtesy of Principal Dr. Trisha Martell

Middle school counselor Crista Scalfari, who runs the program and started the drive, said they were able to feed 72 district families this year.

Fifteen students packed baskets full of Thanksgiving foods and delivered them at the school for families to pick up. Scalfari said the recipients must have a student in the district.

She used to have a club called The Future Is Mine, when she used to teach at the high school. They did donations like this in a similar way after a student asked to do something for families who need food.

“It teaches the kids about volunteering and giving back to their community, and some families have been getting meals forever,” Scalfari said. “The kids don’t realize that a lot of times that they’ve got to give back. They want to do community service; they want to help others.”

Scalfari told the MVI last year that she asked a little girl one year what she was doing for Thanksgiving. They couldn’t afford Thanksgiving and it was just her and her grandmother. She said it was a moment when everything clicked for her to keep helping people.

Scalfari said it takes a community effort to pull it off every year, and she keeps doing it because she knows a lot of people need help — stating that it’s her favorite day of the year.

“When everything is gone, I am like ‘I did it,’” Scalfari added. “At the end of the day, it’s about the families. To have everybody coming together, that’s the nice thing about this. It really is a group effort, and everyone is pitching in.”

Donations of money and food came from Elizabeth Giant Eagle, the high school, PTOs at the elementary schools and middle schools as well as the Central Elementary Kind Kids Club and anonymous donors. Other partners included the high school’s ISH company and the EFMS Kindness Club.

“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed to making this year’s effort such a success,” a statement from the middle school said. “We extend our sincere appreciation to the students and staff at both the high school and middle school, as well as our EFSD parents and community members, for their unwavering commitment to caring for our very own EF families.”

Since Giant Eagle changed to a corporate company this year, Scalfari said she had to go about things differently, but she was still able to fill all the baskets for the families.

“What they did was they donated the turkeys, and we get donations every year,” she added. “Our partnership with Giant Eagle donating the turkeys was a huge help. We were really blessed that they came through.”

Scalfari said a lot of families are trying to get by with less food this year, and they wanted to make sure they had everything for Thanksgiving dinner, including a frozen turkey from Giant Eagle, pumpkin pies and the necessities for the holiday.

“We are pleased to support the incredible work being done to help make sure the families of the Elizabeth Forward School District have access to a wonderful holiday meal,” a statement from Giant Eagle said.

Scalfari said she never knows what’s coming her way every year, and while it might be her most stressful day of work, she wants to make sure she helps the families in need.

“Out here at EF, there aren’t enough resources sometimes, but we are so far out of the city,” Scalfari said. “The churches are hurting too. When I was younger, I was blessed I had family support, and I didn’t see if we were struggling, but these kids do. Thanksgiving is for sitting down with your family to have a meal.”

According to the statement from the school, Scalfari’s “exceptional leadership” and “unwavering dedication” continues to positively impact the school district community.

Principal Dr. Trisha Martell said kindness and compassion are in the heart of the middle school. Scalfari said Martell is good at instilling in the kids the importance of giving back.

“Pass the Turkey shows the incredible heart of our students, staff and community,” Martell said. “It’s amazing to see everyone pitch in to support our families during the holiday season. Pass the Turkey allows our students to turn those values into meaningful action, making a real difference for families during the holidays.”