The Center for Applied Behavioral Instruction (CABI), an accredited, private special education day school for students with autism spectrum disorder and challenging behaviors in Central Massachusetts, collected 158 pounds of food in a holiday food drive to help those in need of food assistance.
CABI held their first annual holiday food drive in December to benefit the Worcester County Food Bank (WCFB). Led by Elizabeth Rostron, BSN, RN and Instructional Assistant Meagan Trujillo, CABI organized the successful food drive collecting 158 pounds of nonperishable food donations over a one-month period.
The effort came about from an exercise with the students about what giving means during the holiday season. The students expressed an interest in helping those in need. With the help of the CABI staff, they identified the Worcester County Food Bank as their charity of choice.
Rostron and Trujillo mailed letters home to families, reached out to neighboring businesses and took to social media to spread the word about the cause. A donation box placed in the front lobby of the school quickly filled out with food from friends and family of the school. Each week, the staff had to empty the boxes to make room for more donations piling in.
Rostron and Trujillo, along with a couple of students, made the trip to Shrewsbury to personally deliver the donation. This was a very proud moment for the CABI students as they experienced what giving back means and how they can directly impact their community.
CABI received a letter and certificate from the WCFB which acknowledged the students’ efforts and explained that the 158 pounds of food would serve 131 meals for individuals and families in the community.
“We are so humbled by the donations from CABI’s family and friends for our first holiday food drive,” said Rostron. “Even more so, we are beyond proud of our students for participating in the program and their true interest in giving back to their community. Each student brought a different value to this program whether it was through experience, their studies, or their compassion for helping, and we look forward to implementing future community programs.”
About CABI
The Center for Applied Behavioral Instruction (CABI) is a private elementary and secondary school that addresses the needs of students with autism spectrum disorder and challenging behaviors. CABI provides an educational option utilizing scientifically based educational treatment for children and young adults with significant educational and behavioral needs. The center is located at 345 Greenwood Street, Suite 3 in Worcester, MA. For more information, visit the website at http://www.cabiautism.org or contact the school directly at (508) 363-0201.
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