Rowland Unified helped 50 families celebrate Thanksgiving this year by furnishing much-needed baskets of food.

“We collected all the food they’d need for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner,” explained Jennifer Kottke, coordinator for the school district’s Family Resource Center in La Puente.

Struggling families received large laundry baskets filled with turkey or ham, rolls, tortillas, canned vegetables, boxes of mashed potatoes and stuffing, gravy and pumpkin pies. They even got paper plates, napkins and plastic silverware.

“The economy has been rough on many of our families. Some are living in motels or homeless,” Kottke noted. “So the district staff donated even more money and food for our Thanksgiving turkey baskets this year. The entire district and community have been very generous this year.”

Read more in Rich Irwin’s story Thanks.