Before University Liggett School heads into its two-week winter break, boxes and gift bags beneath holiday trees overflow with new donations every day.

According to the University of Michigan's report on Metro Detroit Poverty, 40% of the region is either below poverty level or struggles to afford basic household necessities. The many organizations that Liggett partners with strive to help this population, especially during the holiday season.

At McWarm, both boys' and girls' varsity hockey teams throw a holiday party for the guests. This will be the fourth year the players decorate the gym, hand out gifts, and spend time talking and sharing lunch with guests on the Friday before Christmas.

Kristyn Slanec, a parent at Liggett, started this tradition with a few other families. Slanec said the guests “light up” as everyone connects throughout the day. 

Not only do the guests get a lot out of this experience, but it also brings out the best in the teams. 

Slanec said, “I think there’s a sense of gratitude for everything that they have with their families and school.” 

In the middle school, students have been doing the Gobblepalooza donation drive every November for almost two decades. Families donate hats, gloves, gift cards, food, and any other essentials. They then load the donations onto school buses and deliver them to Crossroads. 

Ashley Alles, who teaches middle-school math, came to Liggett just a few years before the tradition started. Alles said, “When you have an entire school bus, stuffed full to the ceiling,” she added, “that's just so powerful.” 

Interim Head of School Paul Rossi said those at Crossroads are "incredibly grateful.” Rossi said he is unsure of the number of donations given, but after speaking to an executive director at Crossroads, he said, “The donations we bring in last them for 9-12 months.” 

Alles said, “We’ve done this so many years that Crossroads can count on us to donate this much stuff every November.”

The lower school not only helps donate to Gobblepalooza, but they also have two drives of their own. The first is the Mitten Tree Project, in which the youngest students donate personalized gifts, and the second is the Giving Tree, where families bring in necessities for mothers-to-be. Both drives have been a tradition for around 20 years. 

Lower School Coordinator Carol Outland said, “It’s a nice opportunity for students to learn other ways to give.” 

Meaningful traditions start small. The student-led Detroit Community Service club is in its second year of adopting families through the organization Detroit With Love. Senior Avery Welsh said this drive is special because students get to “spread joy into the families' lives.” 

The new Cosmetology Club also decided to host a drive for Turning Point, a women’s shelter. Junior Ty’Lynn Thornton said she hopes the drive will return next year, though she said that every season we should “give back to people who really need it.” 

Lastly, all three divisions of robotics hosted a STEAM drive for the first time, providing toys and learning tools to children in the local community. Robotics Team Coordinator Kim Galea said all the families in the community are “very generous” and “want to share their fortune, great experiences, and their opportunities with others.”

Rossi said, “That’s one of the incredibly special things about here, in all things that we do.”