In the days and weeks leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, the Chapin community came together in gratitude and generosity. Through the annual school-wide food drive, several hundred pounds of canned and boxed food was collected and then donated to the New York Common Pantry, the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and Union Settlement to help hungry New Yorkers. In addition, Chapin donated two days of lunchtime desserts to the food drive. Throughout the autumn, students had myriad opportunities to reflect on empathy and compassion and on the importance of taking positive steps to help others.
On November 17, 20 and 21, Chapin’s traditional Thanksgiving Assemblies celebrated the holiday through poetry and song, while bringing into focus the worldwide crisis of hunger and food insecurity, which has an impact on 4.8 million people in the United States alone, including 1.3 million New York City residents.
Wearing handmade hats decorated with construction-paper fruits and vegetables, the Lower School girls demonstrated pride and poise as they processed down the Assembly Room aisle, filling the stage with a sea of color. In a beautiful moment, a group of younger students delivered bowls of produce, representing nature’s magnificent bounty, to a quartet of Upper School students who waited, arms outstretched, at the front of the room.
Thanks to Chef Leo Goltser, Director of Food Services Evamarie Deevy and the food services staff, Chapin’s 793 students and 200 professional community members were treated to a delicious pre-Thanksgiving lunch on November 16. Making this favorite meal required hard work and large quantities of food, including:
· 576 pounds of fresh turkey
· 20 gallons of gravy
· 60 pounds of carrots
· 75 pounds of turnips and peas
· 75 pounds of stuffing
· 120 pounds of mashed sweet potatoes
· 12 gallons of butternut squash bisque
· 45 pounds of green beans and radicchio salad
· 288 slices of pumpkin pie
· 507 slices of apple pie
· 22 gallons of fresh apple cider
We hope your Thanksgiving will be a joyful one.
Browse photos of the celebration below: