Keystone Elementary outlines weekend meals, Thanksgiving baskets and giving tree for families in need

Guidance staff (Speaker 3) told attendees Keystone Elementary sustains multiple family‑support efforts aimed at reducing food insecurity and meeting holiday needs.

The school partners with the United Way help center to provide weekend bags of nonperishable food to about 60 students so they have meals outside the school week. For Thanksgiving, staff said the school runs an annual food drive tied to a monthly character trait (gratitude); community partners and volunteers — including Old Castle Infrastructure and the Keystone PTO — donated turkeys and pies and helped assemble 26 Thanksgiving baskets to distribute to families.

For winter holiday support, guidance staff described a Keystone giving tree: the school creates ornaments listing specific gift needs that staff and community members can take and fulfill. This year staff reported approximately 55 gifts were collected and made available for families to pick up in time for Christmas.

What was not specified in the presentation: eligibility rules for the weekend meal bags, a formal budget or funding stream for the programs beyond partner donations, and whether the United Way partnership is a districtwide or school‑specific agreement. Guidance staff presented these items as ongoing school practices rather than formal district policy.