Holiday help provided by local organizations
Officials say the majority of donations will remain in the local community
By alison granito
Staff Writer

Although some charitable donations collected during the holidays will be bound for places like Trenton, according to those in charge of local charity drives, the bulk of the aid will be used locally this year.

With Thanksgiving in the past and the first round of the holiday season over, local groups are now gearing up to fill their donation baskets for the Christmas holiday season.

According to Lauren Sarni, the coordinator of the Millstone-based Warrior Youth Organiza-tion, the group collected 85 turkeys and more than 4,500 cans of food for distribution to those in need at Thanksgiving.

"We made Thanksgiving baskets for people in town and then brought the rest to a soup kitchen in Trenton," Sarni said.

"We had to rent a truck because there was so much," she added.

Sarni noted that the bulk of the donations were collected by the township’s youth.

"It’s overwhelming to see what these kids can do when everybody pitches in. We are able to do a lot of great stuff," she added.

"It is so important to involve the kids in helping others who may be less fortunate than they are," Sarni said, noting that community service is a part of the mission of the Warrior Youth Organization.

Sarni said that the group will continue to collect food for Christmas, and that people should know that their donations will have an impact in the immediate area.

"Of course we always take care of Millstone first," she said, noting the group had several local families on its list.

The Warrior’s drive was not the only one where the township’s young people pitched in to help the community.

The Millstone Women’s Club got a little help with its holiday food drive from some teachers at Millstone Elementary School and a group of fourth-graders.

The group was busy sorting through the initial donations in the school’s gymnasium two days before the Thanksgiving holiday.

"We know some people don’t have a lot, and we want to try and help them have a nice holiday, but we’re collecting for more than just one day," said Nicole Muraski, a fourth-grader, as she sorted boxes and cans of food.

"We’re doing this so people who are hungry can have food for a long time," added classmate Dimitrius Smith as he helped Nicole sort through different items.

Teacher Carol Leto, who was presiding over an impressive pile of food being stored in the girls’ locker room, helped the students get the donations in order for the Women’s Club to deliver.

"All of this is staying in the township," she said. She said the organization had more than 40 local families on its list this year who needed help.

She also said that it was important to involve the community’s youth in the effort to aid those who may have fallen on hard times.

"One of my kids asked me earlier this week if we really had that many needy families in the township, and I said that many different people need help," Leto said. She said that some local senior citizens, as well as families, could benefit from the group’s work.

"It is very important for our kids to know that they need to share. Others may not be as lucky as they are," she said.

Leto said that doing work to aid the community helped the kids to be less self-centered and realize it is not "all about them."

In the continuing effort to provide help to those who need it, Sarni said the Warrior Youth Organization will hold a dance for Millstone middle school students on Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. She said that in lieu of an admission charge, an unwrapped gift should be donated.

"We want them to bring something that they would like [to receive for the holidays] themselves," she said.