The holidays can be a stressful time for families, especially amidst a pandemic. With many jobs being lost during this pandemic, money can be tight, making it difficult for some families to put food on the table this Thanksgiving. Reno High JROTC Boosters Club and the school social worker are doing their best to alleviate some of that stress and give back to families in need. Students and staff are working together to provide families with a less stressful Thanksgiving.

“We’re doing a food drive,” freshman JROTC student Savannah Bruton said, “where students can participate by bringing in food for it, or spreading the word about it.”

By offering extra credit, teachers are trying to encourage students to bring in items for the food drive.

“I don’t even need the extra credit. I just want to give back and brighten someone’s day.”

JROTC teacher Sergeant Major Beekman loves to see the students so excited to give back to the community and help people through the holidays.

“The kids themselves play a major role in putting the whole thing together,” Beekman said. “The best part is watching the kids learn and grow and become junior leaders themselves.”

Although Beekman is proud of their efforts to give back to the community, she wishes they could do more.

“We would do more, but COVID-19 really won’t let us,” Beekman said. Because of COVID-19, JROTC is not able to do as many fundraisers as they have in previous years around the holidays.

However, Reno High’s school social worker, Alexandria Davis, doesn’t think COVID-19 impacted what she organizes to give back to families in need.

“COVID-19 hasn’t affected my part,” Davis said. “ Last year we gave pre-cooked meals to only eight families, while this year we had 26 families.”

Davis is doing the organization of the food boxes with the money from Reno High.

These dinners consisting of a turkey mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce, are paid for by the Boosters Club money as well as a separate fund Reno High has specifically for this cause.

“Being able to make someone’s day and being able to remove some of the holiday stress from families is such a great feeling” Davis said.

Whether it’s donating time, food, or by simply spreading kindness, Reno High students and staff are doing their best to help families and give them a nice Thanksgiving this year. Thanks to Reno High School, families are able to have a Thanksgiving, stress free.