Levittown grants holiday wishes

MacArthur High School Cheerleaders were among the volunteers who helped sort and wrap gifts for Levittown’s Adopt-A-Family program.

Andrew Hackmack/Herald

Peter D’Angelo and Greg Matousek, of MacArthur's National Honor Society, helped to wrap the presents.

Andrew Hackmack/Herald

Faith Gardner, of MacArthur's World Language Honor Society, helped to wrap the presents.

Andrew Hackmack/Herald

The Board room at the Levittown Memorial Education Center, at left, was filled with gifts on Dec. 15 for needy families in the district.

Andrew Hackmack/Herald

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The Levittown School District has become quiet adept at spreading holiday cheer. Last week, more than 150 students, staff and community members gathered in the district’s board room to put the finishing touches on the Adopt-a-Family program.

All the gifts that were donated in the weeks prior were wrapped and sorted by the volunteers, and then delivered to each of the district’s 10 schools. Social workers at each school would then make sure the gifts were given out to the recipients, which this year totaled 204 infants, children, teens and adults.

Because Adopt-a-Family helps people in the district in need, it is completely anonymous. Only the social workers know who receives the gifts, and they provide the Adopt-a-Family program organizers with wish lists. “We don’t know who any of these people are, and they don’t know who we are,” said Esta Lachow, who coordinates it along with the program’s founder, Gina Interdonato.

Early in November, the district makes a call to the community, seeking willing participants to adopt families. By Dec. 15, there were more than 1,000 gifts to be wrapped and sorted.

Among the volunteers were students from the district’s two high schools. Greg Matousek, president of the National Honor Society at MacArthur High School, was there with several of his peers. He noted that community service is part of the group’s mission, as well as his own personal belief.

“I love Christmas time, making people happy,” said Matousek, a senior. “I won’t be able to see who gets these gifts, but I don’t need to see that to be happy.”

Rose-Marie Snyder, of Wantagh, a senior with the World Language Honor Society, was also happy to help out and spent most of the evening wrapping gifts. “I think it’s really nice that the district does this,” she said. “It shows the dedication in helping less fortunate people.”

MacArthur’s cheerleading squad also was well represented, as it has been for the seven years the Adopt-a-Family program has been in existence. “A lot of people help support them throughout their season, so it’s important to give back to their community,” said coach Lisa Nessler.