Westlake PTAs' food and toiletry drive benefits 330 families

Westlake students prepare to unload a school bus full of donations for the May Dugan Center.

For over 20 years, the Westlake Council of PTAs (Westlake Council) and its member PTAs have teamed with the May Dugan Center in Cleveland to provide food and toiletry items to local families in need. In recent years, the donations have expanded to include Westlake Assistance as well. In October 2016, all seven Westlake schools and their PTA units, city school district administration, the transportation department, and Westlake Early Childhood PTA joined together to make the largest donation to date. Items included canned goods, peanut butter, jelly, cereal, oatmeal and toiletry items. The collection netted nearly 3,800 items.

The successful assembly and delivery of donations was coordinated by Erin Baesel, community service chairperson for Westlake Council, and Rick Kemm, executive director of the May Dugan Center. On Oct. 22, the process of unloading a school bus full of goods took more than 20 volunteers, both adults and children, almost two hours. The food and toiletry items will be distributed to over 330 families on the west side of Cleveland who qualify for assistance. The donations are projected to last roughly one year.

The generosity of Westlake families and staff increases each year as the Food and Toiletry Drive continues to grow. It is estimated the donation sum was close to $13,000 in items this year alone. The May Dugan Center and Westlake Assistance are extremely grateful for the contributions the Westlake Council of PTAs, its member PTA units, and the Westlake City School District continue to make to local families in need.

Westlake Council of PTAs consists of eight local PTAs organized under the authority of Ohio PTA for the purpose of promoting conference, communications, leadership development, and the coordination of the efforts of its member PTAs.

Mary Essig

2016-2017 Westlake Council of PTAs President

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Volume 9, Issue 2, Posted 9:41 AM, 01.24.2017