Seaford students serve community with toy, clothing drives

Students in the Seaford School District have been pitching in to help others during the holiday season. The student council at Seaford High School organized a successful toy drive, while the middle school’s Service Club collected winter clothes.

The toy drive is an annual tradition for the high school’s student government, which both collects and delivers the toys. Students and staff could donate toys at school, which were picked up daily from the classrooms. Additionally, student council officers went around the Seaford community mid-December delivering letters to homes seeking donations. The following week, they went back out and picked up items that were left on front stoops.

Student council officers spent an afternoon wrapping and labeling all of the gifts before visiting Head Start early childhood centers in Hempstead and Westbury. They played the parts of Santa, Mrs. Claus and elves and handed out gifts to children that matched their personal wishes. Each child received a toy, a book and a stocking stuffer.

“All of the kids’ faces light up whenever they see Santa and the elves give them toys,” said Angelina Fernandez, student council secretary. “It feels great knowing that we made their Christmas.”

The student council is advised by Tania Cintorino and Shari Raduazzo. At Seaford Middle School, the Service Club is led by Amanda Robilotto and Julia Spellman, and organized a winter clothing drive to benefit the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless.

The clothing drive ran from Dec. 11 to 21, and students and staff could leave their donations in boxes in the lobby. Collected items including coats, sweaters, pajama pants, hats, gloves and scarves. Service Club members made several posters, which they hung around the school to promote the drive.