Becca Bobrow ’11
Staff Writer
Staples will not only be filled with the beautiful sounds of it’s music groups on Dec. 18th and 19th, but the hallways will also be filled with boxes of non-perishable goods donated by students and audience members to the annual Cans for Candlelight food drive.
The food drive, in its sixth year, benefits the Gillespie Center and is organized by the National Honor Society.
“We use Candlelight as the base for this drive because it is such a deeply rooted, widely respected tradition at Staples that has been known for bringing the community together for the holidays. It’s a great way to get the attention of a lot of people and collect as much food as we can,” said Lucy Goss ‘10, member of the National Honor Society.
Staples Choir director Alice Lipson is impressed by the success of the drive. “It is a big community event, and they get their message out to a lot of people through Candlelight,” said Lipson.
Cans for Candlelight notices are included with invitations and tickets to the concert in order to make people aware of the drive.
“The music department has been wonderful. They have supported us so well,” said Christina Richardson, the chairwoman of the National Honor Society.
Although it has been a difficult year the Society are confident the drive will be a success.
“We are grateful to the community, which has been so generous in the past,” said Richardson.
Anything the community can donate is appreciated by the Center and by the community members that rely on the drive for food. The Center works as a homeless shelter and distributes food to the needy. It serves two meals a day for anyone that comes and distributes two bags of groceries per week to any family that requires it. With so much food being provided to many people, the Center is often short on food, which is why the National Honor Society organizes this drive.
“It is easy to think about Westport as a wealthy community, but there are people here who are hungry. This really helps them,” said Richardson.
After the concerts, the National Honor Society Cans For Candlelight Committee headed by Morgan Patrick will collect the food and bring it to the Gillespie Center.
The Candlelight concerts are December 18 at 7:00 p.m. and December 19 at 7:00 and 9:30 p.m.
“If you are going to Candlelight, please bring a can,” said Richardson.
