Putnam City North students fill boxes full of Thanksgiving meals
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - It was all hands on deck during second hour for the student council at Putnam City North High School while they packed up boxes filled with a full Thanksgiving meal.
"There doesn't always have to be a reward for you to give back," said Joanna Alkannama, a junior at PC North.
Signage hangs in the PC North cafeteria defining "Compassion" and "Volunteerism." That's exactly what the student council stuffed boxes with.
"Huge team effort, the whole school came together," said Julie Lulla, the student council teacher.
The Thanksgiving Box Project is a yearly tradition for the PC North Panthers.
This year, 37 families of faculty and students will have a traditional Thanksgiving meal, thanks to student donations.
"The turkey, mac and cheese, potatoes," said Neba.
"I love some mashed potatoes," said Alkannama.
"We have corn bread," said one of the students while packing the boxes.
To make this project a success, the students had to rely on new skills.
"They learn how to budget, they learn how to work as a group," said Lulla.
As well as how to keep track of all the goods.
"We're going to have to take all the inventory and shop for whatever we're missing," Lulla told News 4.
"We don't have condensed milk, either," said a student while checking a list on the side of a box.
"The funniest thing they've learned is that yams and sweet potatoes are the same thing," said Lulla.
The biggest lesson of all, is knowing this impacts the anonymous families of Putnam City North High School.
"It shows you really don't know what's going on with someone. You could be laughing with your friend and you don't know that they can't afford their next meal," said Neba.
A whole school effort, to help those with hidden needs.
"It feels great like knowing you can give back to people who are closest to you," said Alkannama.
The families will receive the boxes this Friday.