School staff made the rounds to several area grocery stores to purchase items for Thanksgiving Day meal baskets.

The floodgates opened after Youngstown Secondary School Administrative Assistant Audrianna Phillips reached out to potential donors through Facebook. She simply wanted to raise about $350, enough to purchase Thanksgiving Day meals for the school’s families most in need. Instead, thousands of dollars rolled in almost immediately.

Audrianna Phillips, Summit Academy Secondary School – Youngstown adminstrative assistant (left) with parent Molly White.
DeNiro Quality Foods and the Red Cross donated freezer space to store turkeys.

Parent Molly White was so moved by the school’s efforts to provide for families. If it wasn’t for Summit Academy, she said her family would not have a Thanksgiving this year. White’s story is not unlike those of many Summit 
Academy families, grateful for the spirit of generosity expressed by the local community.

Audrianna Phillips of Summit Academy Secondary School – Youngstown is interviewed by a WKBN-TV 27 reporter for a story on her social media post that generated  abundant donations.
Summit Academy Secondary School – Youngstown 10th grade student Candice Washington (left) and her mother, Pamela Washington, graciously accept a Thanksgiving meal basket.

It has been a busy past several days in Youngstown where families of both Summit Academy schools will break bread together on Thanksgiving Day thanks to the simple social media request that inspired a community to come calling. As a follow up to our original story, here is collection of photos that recap last week’s events.

“Team Turkey”
Families of both Summit Academy schools in Youngstown received Thanksgiving Day meal baskets thanks to community and staff donations. Pictured are principals Ashley Martin of Summit Academy Secondary School – Youngstown and Summit Academy – Youngstown Elementary Michael Majzun.