Woodside Community Donates Turkey Baskets

The Woodside Elementary School community got in the giving mood recently, donating 31 “turkey baskets” to families in need in Milwaukee’s Notre Dame Middle School community.

“Helping provide a Thanksgiving basket to each family in the school is a simple way to reach out and directly help a family in need,” said Rayelle Simonsen, a Woodside teacher who helped organize the collection.

Students donated $2,220 they earned by doing chores at home. Volunteers shopped for groceries to build the baskets. Items will include a frozen turkey, bag of stuffing, jar of gravy, white and sweet potatoes, fresh vegetables, bread, canned cranberries, a fresh pie, beverages, appetizers such as cheese, crackers and nuts, along with an aluminum roasting pan.

The items were placed into sturdy laundry baskets to be delivered to families. 

Notre Dame is a successful middle school in Milwaukee that serves Hispanic girls in grades 5-8. The school’s academic outcomes includes a 98 percent high school graduation rate with 82 percent of its students continuing on to college.

Some 94 percent of the families live  at or below poverty level and the past few years have been especially difficult because the recession has affected many jobs.