cheshirecitizen.com
Volume 11, Number 60
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Turkey bus stuffed with food drive supplies & goodwill By Joy VanderLek The Cheshire Citizen
No, you were not hallucinating. You did see a turkey on wheels, driving around town recently. The bus, owned by Cheshire Academy, was dressed up as larger-thanlife turkey, complete with a Pilgrim hat. It was all a part of a community service event created by Cheshire Academy students. The academy had a Stuff-aBus event just prior to the Cheshire Food Drive, explained Kristin Ornato-Giano, Cheshire Academy stu-
dent activities coordinator. Ornato-Giano and the student activity committee wanted to engage students in a project. Ich Dien Society, a community service group on campus, also wanted to help. We were like, “Let’s have fun with this and join forces,” Ornato-Giano said. The groups then decided on doing the Stuff-a-Bus event at the academy. “We turned it into a class competition,” said OrnatoGiano. It was a quick turnaround, she added. About a week before the annual Cheshire Food Drive on
the green, Nov. 7-8, student whipped up interest throughout the campus, involving students and teachers, to get approximately 1,000 items donated for the Cheshire Food Drive. There was a real camaraderie to all of it, she said. Donations included cereals and juices and all non-perishables. Transforming the school bus into a turkey was a whirlwind of student creativity, as students worked during their lunch periods. Ornato-Giano said the students paintSee Turkey bus, A2
Shop Local kicks into high gear for the holidays By Joy VanderLek The Cheshire Citizen
Cheshire is open for business. It’s the rallying cry of local businesses as Shop Local, Small Business Saturday lays out the welcome mat the weekend of Nov. 28 and 29. The promotion was created by American Express in 2010 as tool for small businesses to get recognition and gain traction in their communities. The following year, the movement went national. According to the Small
Business Administration, there are more than 28 million small businesses throughout the country. This year’s Shop Local event See Shop, A3
Staff member and part-time elf Tracy Wilson plays Santa’s Helper during The Red Owl’s recent virtual Holiday Open House. Photo courtesy of Nelson Acosta
This Cheshire Academy bus was dressed up as largerthan-life turkey to collect items for a recent food drive.
Helpers find a way to make a special delivery to the North Pole By Joy VanderLek The Cheshire Citizen
The way 2020 has been going, Cheshire’s Amy Giovannucci and her fiancé Mark Sergi did not want to take any chances with Christmas. That’s why they set up Santa’s mailbox in the front yard of their Waterbury Road home well before Thanksgiving. See Delivery, A2
Emergencies are always emergencies. And we’re here 24/7. Don’t delay care that could save your life. Our emergency rooms are open and safe. Visit HartfordHealthCare.org/Emergency to see ER wait times, and to let us know you are on your way. Nearby, at:
MidState Medical Center 435 Lewis Ave., Meriden
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