By Nick Mattera
’Tis the season to give back.
Just ask the students participating in the “12 days of Christmas” at Niagara Falls High School.
The program, in its eighth year of operation, uses donations to provide Christmas dinners to 150 needy families in the Niagara Falls School District. Sam Giancola, the program’s director, said he asks students, teachers and faculty to donate a different item each day for 12 days.
“Without the program there are some families that would be without a Christmas dinner,” Giancola said.
The program not only collects food, many teachers will donate a gift card for Tops or Wegmans as well, and Giancola said that he or one of his volunteers will go and personally purchase food.
He said he has received over $500 in gift card donations that will help a lot toward reaching the program’s goal.
Neda Shaihadeh, a senior at the high school, said she has been volunteering for three years and that it gives her a lesson in what the holiday season is like for those who are less fortunate.
“It really makes you realize that not everyone has a perfect Christmas dinner,” she said. “Volunteering makes you feel good, because it is your chance to give back.”
Giancola said he looks to the Focus on Families program, guidance counselors and staff to help him select the families who are most in need of the services.
Kristen Shampoo, a senior, has also been volunteering for three years. She said it is exciting because they are giving less fortunate families the opportunity to celebrate Christmas the right way.
“It puts a smile on these families faces and that makes it worth it,” she said.
Giancola said that he and a group of volunteers will deliver the food this Wednesday and Thursday. He added that his wife Maralyn gave him the idea, as she started the program at Niagara Middle School many years ago.
Giancola’s daughter Teresa continued the family tradition by starting a similar program in the Lockport School District.
He said that the “12 Days of Christmas” works hand-in-hand with a program run by girls varsity basketball coach Sal Constantino. His program uses donations to purchase presents for less fortunate families within the school district.
Constantino said he started the program about 10 years ago, when he worked at the Niagara Falls YMCA, and it has grown exponentially over the years.
He said through a number of donations from Sevenson Environmental and the Concetta Charitable Foundation the program raises more than $1,500 to provide gifts to the families.
The group of volunteers gather at Giancola’s house a few days before Christmas to wrap the presents for delivery on Christmas Eve.
“This program shows the volunteers a different perspective on Christmas,” Constantino said. “Some people take it for granted that they always have something underneath there tree and that’s not the case for a lot of families in the city.”
Constantino hopes to be able to affect around 100 families this holiday season through this program, and said that the worst part is there will many families needing help that he won’t be able to serve.
Shaihadeh said that helping others, especially during this time of the year is a great experience and that she wants to come back to volunteer after graduation.
“We do what we can, and if this program keeps growing hopefully we will have the ability to do more.”
12 days of Giving
• Day 1 One box of cereal
• Day 2 One box of mashed potatoes or one can of yams
• Day 3 One box, bag, or can of stuffing
• Day 4 Two cans of gravy
• Day 5 Two cans of soup
• Day 6 Two cans of vegetables
• Day 7 Two cans fruit
• Day 8 Two boxes of macaroni and cheese
• Day 9 One box of cake, brownie or cookie mix
• Day 10 Two boxes of pudding or Jell-O
• Day 11 One bag of flour or sugar
• Day 12 One ham or turkey
