Shoebox Santas holiday cheer

VVS: Shoebox Santas distributing care boxes for needy families

VERONA >> VVS Shoebox Santas are looking forward to making the holiday season a little brighter for some local folks who might not otherwise have much to celebrate with, as they construct care packages filled with essential items -- and much of their own love and compassion -- for the needy not too far away.

Those boxes will contain a wide range of contents, from personal hygiene items to household necessities to a special gift or two, put together by several students at the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School in Verona. The boxes will be delivered to the Rome Rescue-Mission, located only minutes away from the school, before the holidays.

“These are all things most people can just go to their cupboard for, but things that some people who don’t have a cupboard don‘ t have,” said VVS Shoebox Santa advisor and teacher’s aide Kelly Ross.

There is a definite need for a helping hand in the area, Ross explained, as the Rome Rescue Mission serves 200 meals a day on average, and also reaches out to three places nearby where the people are living in tents. The idea for Shoebox Santas actually started from an outreach she previously joined in her church, where they were doing a similar project to help with people in need around the world.

Ross said she wanted Shoebox Santas to deliver their own outreach closer to home, however, so they picked the Rome Rescue Mission to receive their donations. Last year, students did a coat collection, and those donations were also taken to the mission. Before that, there was a blanket drive for a nearby nursing home.

Each year a community service outreach is chosen by Ross and her students, all volunteers just looking to help out the needy in their area.

“It’s a nice, caring group of children,” Ross complimented.

VVS junior Kyle Holmes is one of those students, saying he met Ross through their work together with the town of Verona park program. He worked on the coat collection last year, and looked forward to joining Ross again in the current project.

“I just like being able to give something to the needy,” he said. “I like helping people who don’t have what I have.”

“Some people don’t have a lot, so we get to buy some nice things for them,” agreed VVS senior Claire Mumford, who said she decided to help with Shoebox Santas when she was looking for a senior project. Shoebox Santas gave her not only the opportunity to fulfill that project, but reach out to the needy in her own area, she said.

Fellow VVS senior Baylee Reader also worked on Ross’ project last year. It was that experience that prompted her to sign up again, she said.

“She asked if I wanted to do this and I couldn’t say no,” Reader admitted, saying she is glad to be able to help. She has helped spread the word on the project by making posters and flyers, she added.

The students are currently in the process of collecting shoe boxes and donated items, and will fill those boxes, tag them, and deliver them by December. Donations of items for the boxes, boxes themselves, or money to purchase those items can be dropped off at the VVS High School office. They haven’t set a specific goal of a certain amount of donations they hope to receive, Ross noted.

“We will be happy with whatever we can get,” she said.

For more information on making a donation to VVS Shoebox Santas, call (315) 8292520, ext. 7446.

PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE DISPATCH BY MIKE JAQUAYS VVS Shoebox Santas, including, from left, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School students Claire Mumford, Baylee Reader, and Bridgett Finnerty describe their outreach to guests at the VVS Community Day on Oct. 16at the Verona school.

VVS Shoebox Santas advisor Kelly Ross displays the contents of one of their boxed care packages during the VVS Community Day at the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School on Oct. 16.