Students and staff from Longfields–Davidson Heights Secondary School, Merivale High School, Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School, Sir Robert Borden High School, and Woodroffe High School were on hand on Sunday, October 10 at Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School to serve more than 1,100 meals at the annual Thanksgiving Dinner for the Needy.

This is the 19th year that the turkey dinner, coordinated by retired teacher Ed Mahfouz, has been such a wonderful success. The Ottawa Citizen wrote, “A woman arrived with an oxygen tank. Others used walkers or wheelchairs. Bags of groceries to take home were eagerly accepted.” All this and more happens because of the entire community’s wonderful generosity.

First Student Canada donated three buses to help transport people from different areas of Ottawa. Staff at the Greenbank Administration building collected canned goods, toiletries, and $1,300 in cash to buy food.

High schools from across Ottawa helped to collect more than 3,000 items of dry food and 25 boxes of clothing to give away during the dinner.

More than 180 volunteers — students, OCDSB staff, drivers, parents, and community citizens showed up to prepare and serve the meal. All the participants, including diners and servers, had a wonderful time.