The season of giving has once again arrived at LZHS. To celebrate, student council will be hosting their annual 12 Days of Giving from November 13 through December 1, 2023.
12 Days of Giving is a charity bash-like event at LZHS, according to Akansha Anand, senior and student council executive, “to support charities that benefit our community or benefit nearby communities in order for the students to give back during the holiday season.”
This year, Anand says that there will be a total of four organizations, which are Toys for Tots, Saving tiny Hearts, Joanie’s Closet, and 2 food pantries: Hope Collective and St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry (food donations will be split between the two).
“Last year, we did five [organizations.] This year, student council chose to support only four so that we can do more for each,” Anand said.
Student council members, like Isabel Lin, junior, are excited to support these charities by helping to deliver the donations to their respective organizations and also to see “all the things everyone brought” to donate.
“One of the charities that [has] always interested me is Toys for Tots,” Lin said. “I know how much toys meant to me growing up so it’s nice to be able to give these kids toys to play with.”
With several of these charities being local and familiar to the LZ community, such as Joanie’s Closet, Anand finds it necessary for students to participate as 12 Days of Giving is a way for them to “spread happiness” to others.
“I think it’s important for every LZHS student to donate because I feel like we’re all so caught up in finals season and Thanksgiving, and while not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, you get that feeling of giving back when it’s fall and it’s happy. It just is sad that not everyone gets to be included in [a happy] family or [be able to do] traditions,” Anand said. “So [by] giving back to the community, you’re giving a part of your happiness to other people, [and that’s] really important.”
Items to donate
Toys for Tots, a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve with a focus on providing children with toys and other gifts, students can donate new unwrapped toys and wrapping paper.
Saving tiny Hearts is a non-profit organization for children born with congenital heart defects, cash donations of any amount are appreciated.
For Joanie’s Closet, a local committee for under-resourced D95 students, they are looking for black expo markers, corded earbuds, highlighters, post-it notes, and winter gloves.
The food pantries, St. Vincent de Paul food pantry and Hope Collective, would like donations of canned and dry goods, children’s toys, diapers, paper towels and napkins, cooking oils.
