Tis the season of giving and SUNY Morrisville and the Morrisville-Eaton Central School (MECS) District are teaming up to provide families in need with food for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Seventeen families, chosen by the MECS School District, will benefit from the effort, started by MECS social studies teacher Meaghan Palmer and coworkers 15 years ago to address food insecurities in the district. The generosity multiplied when the two schools joined forces.

Jennifer Gilbert Jenkins, associate professor of agricultural science at SUNY Morrisville, stepped in to help five years ago, leading the college's charge. "I saw what she (Meaghan) was asking for in the Thanksgiving baskets and I asked if SUNY Morrisville could help.

"I think it is so important for the town to know that the SUNY Morrisville community cares," Gilbert Jenkins said. "We aren't just a college in the middle of the community; we are part of the community."

"Because of SUNY Morrisville, the Thanksgiving basket is so much more than we could typically give," Palmer said. "Jen is all about giving fresh produce - things we were not able to do," Palmer said. "And we can support so many more families and do so much more now."

The food drive provides families with everything for a Thanksgiving dinner and more.

"For families in need, three days off of school means three days without school-provided breakfast and lunch," Gilbert Jenkins said. "We give each family a gallon of milk and an Aldi giftcard to ensure that kids are getting the nutrition they need when the school support isn't available."

They also get peanut butter and jelly and microwave meals for those who don't have stoves.

SUNY Morrisville 's monetary donations are the generosity of faculty, staff and students and allow Gilbert Jenkins to purchase produce such as carrots, potatoes and squash from local farms, as well as dairy goods, including milk, butter and cheese.

The college has also donated produce, grown by faculty, staff and students on its Organic Farm, in past years.

Generally, the college-filled bags contain five pounds of potatoes, four pounds of carrots, two pounds of onions, four pounds of winter squash and may also include cabbage, peppers and other food items.

The bags are given to MECS for distribution and are added to the mounds of MECS donations, which include turkey, canned goods and other items. Recipients get a filled basket, as well as a filled bag.

Donations overflow from a dedicated room into Palmer's classroom - the work of many volunteers imbedded with the spirit of giving.

For Gilbert Jenkins and Palmer, the Thanksgiving act of kindness is a way for both schools to give back.

"Addressing food insecurity is a cause that is near and dear to my heart," Gilbert Jenkins said. "We also need to support our local farmers. Instead of buying produce at a grocery store, donation dollars do double duty when we get to also support local farms who are thankful for the added income."

"We are very thankful for Morrisville," Palmer said. "This makes the baskets last for the holiday season and beyond. Recipients are overwhelmed and they are so grateful. It's a huge burden off of a lot of people."

Through the years, the fund drive has become a family affair for Gilbert Jenkins. Her husband, Shawn Jenkins, instructional support assistant in the college's Horticulture Department, and their children, Maya, 13, and Jackson, 10, lend a hand filling the bags.

The schools' collaborative effort is a powerful demonstration of service to the community and the drive to make a difference in the world.

"It is truly amazing," Gilbert Jenkins said of the SUNY Morrisville campus's generosity. "So far this year, we have raised more than $1,600. People give what they can and every dollar counts."

To send a monetary donation to SUNY Morrisville, contact Gilbert Jenkins at 315.684.6577 or email [email protected]. To send a donation or goods to the Morrisville-Eaton School District, email Palmer at [email protected].

In addition to assisting the MECS Thanksgiving food drive, the SUNY Morrisville campus addresses its own needs, holding food and hygiene drives for its students and provides on- and off-campus resources for students experiencing food or housing insecurity.

Students who are unable to go home for Thanksgiving can sign up for a campus meal, along with groceries for the break.

Mo's Marketplace serves students in the community who are encountering financial hardship, emergency food shortages or other pressing personal issues that prevent the purchase of, or access to, sufficient amounts of food, hygiene items or clothing.