EXETER -- Students, teachers, and parents at Wyoming Area Catholic in Exeter are busy bundling bags of wrapped gifts to give to needy families.
It's part of the school's giving tree program, started nearly 20 years ago by Ed Meszczynski, when he was just in Pre-K, along with some help from his mom.
“Parents of the students here at Wyoming Catholic, they will adopt a child's needs, and buy everything the child wants, so we could realistically be arriving with a car full of things for one family,” his mom said.
Now Ed is 21, but he still comes back every year to his alma mater to help out. He said this year, there's a bigger need for gifts than ever before. More than 500 kids have been adopted, asking for things all sorts of things, like scooters, video games, and more.
“We feel happy to be able to do it and we want to be able to do it, because, you know, we want to give back!” Ed said.
We watched as families received the gifts, like at an apartment complex on Schooley Street in Exeter.
“Who has the extra money for Christmas gifts? And I'm not raising my granddaughter, so this really helps a lot,” Helen Fronczek, who received some gifts.
Students at Wyoming Area Catholic also learn a real life lesson about giving back.
“I learn that there are many people who are less fortunate. They can't afford gifts, so it's a really nice cause to donate all these gifts,” said one student.
“Giving back to people is the best part about doing it, for people who aren't as fortunate!” said another student.
Wyoming Area Catholic expects to continue the program next year.