DUNMORE, Pa. — Students at Holy Cross High School in Dunmore are ringing in the season of giving with a new idea — a "reverse" Advent calendar.
"In a typical Advent calendar, you would open something each day. Or when I was in grade school, we would color a picture for each day, counting down until Christmas. So, with these boxes, we basically did the opposite of that. You would put an item in for each day, counting down until you have a full box, which that is a full gift to give to somebody else for Christmas," explained senior Carsyn Cole.
The boxes are wrapped in festive paper and topped with a bow.
Inside, you'll find pantry staples like pasta, canned goods, and cereal. Students and their families were able to fill 80 boxes. All were blessed during mass.
"It made me realize that some people don't have the basic things like that, so I am fortunate that I have, and it made me feel good that I was making a difference in someone's life just giving simple things," said junior Brooke Bilski.
"It was just really nice to have an opportunity to give back to people in our community in a time when it's all about giving," said Cole.
The boxes will then be delivered to several organizations in Lackawanna County, including St. Francis Kitchen.
Executive Director Rob Williams says it's heartwarming to see so many students come together to help area food pantries during a time when the need is great.
"We went from 300 family servings per month to over 700 family servings per month for the last seven months in our food pantry. So, this will help replenish the shelves in our client-choice food pantry," said Williams.
After this year's success, Holy Cross High School hopes to make this a yearly tradition.
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