There are many clubs within the Foran community that prioritize giving back during the holiday season, including Interact Club, Key Club, and Habitat for Humanity.  These clubs, and many more, have monumental impacts on the Milford community, especially during the holiday season. 

     Key Club alone organizes many volunteering opportunities, including their largest and most popular event: bell ringing for the Salvation Army. Money donated to this charity supplies food for the hungry, shelter and necessities for the homeless, aids in disaster relief, and provides assistance to disabled, elderly, and ill individuals.

     Key Club vice president Arezoo Ghazagh states, “Bell ringing is one way that our club has been able to give back to the community and we are very grateful that we have been able to get back to in person volunteering events this year after being unable to last year.”

     During these holiday months, Key Club also sells poinsettias and wreaths for The Eliminate Project, an initiative run by Kiwanis International and UNICEF. The money raised goes towards protecting the lives of babies and mothers all over the world.

     Habitat for Humanity collected canned foods during the month of November for their Thanksgiving food drive. Originally, they were going to seek out a local organization to donate the canned food to, but instead they contributed to the drive organized within the school.

     Habitat for Humanity president Skyler Agresti states, “I think it’s especially important to volunteer during the holidays because it is a time for giving and everyone should work together to give back to the community to help those who are less fortunate.”

     Interact Club spreads holiday cheer by assisting the Milford Fire Department with the city’s toy collection for Toys for Tots. Club members sort out toys that will be distributed to Milford children in need. They have been helping the Milford Fire Department with this program for the last fifteen years.

     Interact Club also volunteers with helping the senior citizens of the community. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, they have helped start a “Gen-Pen Program” with the Aherns program, an organization for Milford’s senior citizens that suffer from dementia. 

     This year, they started a leaf raking program for senior citizens who struggle with physical chores and labor. Every week, senior citizens can sign up to have their yards raked by students. Members bag leaves and leave them on the curb, where they are picked up by the town.

     Teacher leader of this club Ms. Emily Plude states, “A lot of the patrons that go to the Milford Senior Center disabled veterans. Them building a connection with our students really matters especially during this time of year when the seniors can’t go out and see a lot of their family members due to travel restrictions and their health.”

     The holidays are truly a time for giving, and these clubs show just how much Foran is helping the community this holiday season.