Local Shelter to Benefit from Generosity of SWBOCES Employees

An annual Thanksgiving drive spearheaded by the SWBOCES Homeless Student Program in Harrison will give eight needy families in the Westchester area the chance to enjoy a sumptuous Thanksgiving meal this Thursday.

Over the past couple of weeks, staffers at the BOCES offices in Harrison and Rye Brook donated an array of much needed items to the fundraiser, which assists homeless families living in the Coachman Family Center in White Plains.

On Tuesday, Nov. 24, representatives of Westhab Inc., the non-profit group that oversees the center, picked up closed to 30 containers full of Thanksgiving staples. They included soup, stuffing, pie crust mixes, cranberry sauce, instant mashed potatoes, crackers, cookies, tea, coffee and more.

Eight turkeys were also donated to the drive.

Maria McGinty, supervisor of the Homeless Student Program, and secretary Dina Roselli, both at the BOCES offices in Harrison, as well as Chris Jansen, BOCES treasurer, who works out of the Rye Brook office, organized the initiative.

The Student Homeless Program was established in 1989 in collaboration with the Westchester County Department of Social Services and The Urban League of Westchester, and was originally set up to monitor and track homeless student attendance.