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Out-of-Door Provides Thanksgiving Meals for Families in Need

For more than 10 years, ODA has partnered with Gocio Elementary School on a variety of service projects. One of the most meaningful traditions is the annual Thanksgiving food collection.This year ODA students, parents, and faculty on both campuses are providing full meals for 75 families at Gocio who otherwise would not be able to enjoy a holiday dinner. Click here to view photos from this special day on our Facebook Page.
Delivering the meals to families in need at Gocio has become another important tradition for our Out-of-Door students. Through this project, our students learn the rewarding nature of our core value of service as they offer compassion and empathy to others.

Each family’s basket contains all the makings of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including a turkey, pumpkin pie, and ingredients for multiple side dishes including mashed potatoes, candied yams, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. In addition to the food items and paper goods, we also included a recipe book created by Mrs. Joanna Johnson and Mrs. Yadira Kirschner’s seventh grade Spanish students. The cookbook details how to prepare all of the dishes in both English and Spanish, and even includes Thanksgiving-themed coloring pages for the children. Being a true community-wide effort, the generous contributions of the students, faculty, and staff, were packed by ODA volunteers into bins decorated and donated by our Parent Association.

During assembly at the Uihlein Campus, Upper and Middle School students and faculty spoke about what they were thankful for and shared some of their favorite Thanksgiving memories. Interspersed, there were moving performances by the 7th and 8th Grade Orchestra, the Advanced Chamber Orchestra, and the Middle School Chorus. On the Siesta Key Campus, Lower School students were visited by Ms. Katherine Driggers, Gocio’s school liaison, who talked about how much their contributions mean to the families who receive them, and how the families might not have the means to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner together without their generosity. After the presentation, the fifth grade students then helped to load up the meals onto the Out-of-Door bus and traveled to Gocio Elementary School to help deliver them.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, the Out-of-Door community understands the importance of combining efforts to supply the ingredients to create a bountiful meal for other families to enjoy. Our yearly service to Gocio Elementary and other organizations reminds ODA students about their role in the world and the importance of helping others.
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The Out-of-Door Academy

LOWER SCHOOL |  Historic Siesta Key Campus  |  Pre-K – Grade 5
444 Reid Street, Sarasota, FL 34242  |  941-349-3223  |  Fax: 941-349-8133

LOWER SCHOOL |  Lower School Campus on Clark Road  |  Pre-K – Grade 1
11011 Clark Rd, Sarasota, FL 34241   |  COMING SOON

MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOLS
  |  Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch  |  Grades 6 – 8 |  Grades 9 – 12
5950 Deer Drive, Sarasota, FL 34240  |  941-349-3223  |  Fax: 941-907-1251
The Out-of-Door Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, physical ability, religion, sex, age, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin.
The Out-of-Door Academy is an equal opportunity employer.

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