For the first time ever, six different extra-curricular clubs, comprising over 100 students in Selden Middle School, worked together to collect 536 non-perishable food items and 328 toiletry items for the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless (LICH) recently.
“It is such a privilege to witness our students and teachers come together to give back to our community and make a difference,” said Andrew Bennett, Principal of Selden Middle School. “Our school is a shining example of leaders and doers that want to make a positive impact. Thank you to our students, families, faculty, and staff for all the donations and help to collect and count the items.”
Selden alumnus, Rachel Cortes, a current Stony Brook student, spearheaded the donation drive in conjunction with her organization at Stony Brook University. To kick off the week-long collection drive, Rachel and two of her peers spoke to numerous club members and their advisors about the homeless issue on Long Island. Currently, there are over 3,800 documented homeless people across Nassau and Suffolk counties, 1,200 of which are children. The collection drive was such a tremendous success that the advisors are planning to make this an annual springtime event.