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Little Cypress Elementary students and staff participated in a Thanksgiving food drive this year.

For seven days, they collected items including corn, green beans, dried stuffing, rice, beans, macaroni-n-cheese, dried potatoes, cornbread, gravy and cranberry sauce.

“We did things a little different this year and asked for specific food items with the goal of building food baskets for families on our campus in need,” said LCE school counselor, Corrie Zepeda. “Students donated 1,887 items. My office looked like a mini grocery store.”

Fifteen families responded that they needed assistance this Thanksgiving.

In addition to those boxes, the campus had enough supplies to make 14 more boxes for students who receive the weekly backpack program support.

There was still an abundance of food left, so. Zepeda reached out to Fox Run and Velma Jeter apartments to see if their residents needed help.

According to Zepeda, a Fox Run Apartments representative was excited to partner with LCE to help the residents.

As a result, LCE is donating 70 bags of Thanksgiving items, one for each of the tenants.

Overall LCE is helping 99 families in the school and community with Thanksgiving meals.

International Paper and The Service League of Orange also partnered with LCE and donated 29 turkeys to the families receiving Thanksgiving meal baskets/boxes.

All remaining donations will be given to the Salvation Army of Orange.