No family left unfed

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“Everyone deserves to be treated the same on the holidays,” Miss Wantagh ambassador Emma Carey said.

And that is exactly what the Miss Wantagh Court and Wantagh Boy Scout Troop 96 plan to do this holiday season. With cold weather settling in and Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, these youth organizations have decided to give back to the community in a big way with Operation: No Family left Unfed.

“So far, we’re planning to set up boxes in local churches and other community buildings,” Carey said. “Hopefully we’ll donate to an even bigger organization, such as Long Island Cares or Island Harvest.

With the operation put in place last week, the two groups started collecting non-perishable food for the cause. They have also set out bins in front of local churches, temples and schools in Wantagh to jump-start the food drive.

“They get an opportunity to work together hand in hand in a partnership to provide for the community in which they live,” Miss Wantagh Coordinator Ella Stevens said. “They get to know what it feels like to give someone something that the person on the receiving end doesn’t expect.”

Forest Lake Elementary School has already set up bins in the main lobby of the school to collect canned food and other donations. The deadline to bring in food is Monday.

“There is a feeling of satisfaction that you get from a family or a person that is smiling or thanking you,” Stevens said. “It’s something you can’t but a dollar sign on.”

The two groups plan to extend the food drive well into the holiday season, and ultimately visit a local food bank with their donations.

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