Key Club baskets make Thanksgiving Possible by McKayla Ivey

Every year, the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School’s (OHCHS) Key Club makes Thanksgiving baskets for those in our community who may not otherwise be able to afford a Thanksgiving dinner for their family.

The Key Club is a service organization that focuses mainly on children in our community. The current club advisor is Michael Vandemark, a teacher at OHCHS. When asked about how he felt about doing these baskets for the community he said, “It’s a very positive thing for the community.” Each family that receives a basket from the Key Club gets a direct phone call from Vandemark, informing them of the baskets that the families will be  receiving. The reactions from the families “are a little of both, it matters. Some people say yeah, or some people are very hesitant. It’s really mixed reactions, and most people are thankful.” explains Vandemark.

“The baskets include everything that a Thanksgiving dinner would from a turkey to cranberry sauce, and everything in between,” Vandemark explains. These baskets are given out to fifteen different families with children in our community, and these families are chosen by the principals in the elementary schools. The principals recognize the children in need, and refer them to the Key Club. Each basket is directly delivered, by students in the Key Club, to the homes of the families.

Along with the Thanksgiving baskets that the Key Club gives away, there are also many free dinners and lunches throughout our community. The third Friday in November at the Second Congregational Church in Norway there is a dinner. Thanksgiving day there is a free community dinner at the South Paris Fire Hall. There is also one at the Progress Center in Norway, and every Wednesday there is a free lunch at the Universal Church in Norway.