Commentary By Brian Sawa
On Dec. 8, the 12th Annual Clothing Giveaway was held at Washington Woods Elementary School. During the event, more than 200 people arrived to take advantage of the large volume of clothing donated by the community. More than $130 was collected during the event to be given to the Amanda Strong Foundation, an organization which assists Westfield-area families during the holiday season.
Events such as these can only happen because of the tremendous support from both the school and Westfield communities. A big “thank you” goes out to all of those who were able to clean out their closets and donate unneeded items to the clothing drive. And we very much appreciate Sodexo Support Services for collecting all of the donations from the various schools and delivering them to Washington Woods.
It is a huge undertaking to get all of the donations unpacked and sorted, and much gratitude goes to all of those who volunteered their time to unpack and fold clothes, including Washington Woods students and staff, Washington Woods BAC and Student Council, Westfield Chamber of Commerce, Westfield Lions Club, Westfield Rotary Club, City of Westfield, Shamrock Springs Elementary Caring Kids, Westfield High School’s Leo Club, and the Harey Hoppers 4-H group. We are also extremely appreciative of Papa John’s on Greyhound Pass for donating a stack of pizzas to feed our volunteers during the event.
We’re able to hold this event each year because so many come together to make it work. Thank you to all for making this event happen another year — it matters so much to so many of our families!
Brian Sawa is the guidance counselor at Washington Woods Elementary School and organizer for the Westfield Washington School district annual clothing giveaway. He can be reached at 867-7906.
