One morning, Marlboro High School Spanish teacher Esther Cooke saw a news interview with the mayor of Secaucus, where he spoke about the town’s collection of items for Ukrainian refugees.

Ms. Cooke, who is also the advisor of the National Honor Society (NHS), knew assisting the drive would be a great service opportunity for NHS students. She quickly contacted the Township of Secaucus and received a list of the items the town was collecting, which NHS shared around Marlboro High School. Donations soon poured in from the community. The group collected diapers, wipes, baby formula, new/used clothing, shoes/boots, coats, sleeping bags, flashlights, first aid kits, toiletries, toys, books, and blankets/comforters.  

NHS provided three school buses filled with donated items for the Ukrainian refugees. Ms. Cooke and nine NHS students delivered the donations on March 11th, where the group met with Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli and several township employees. Secaucus will be shipping the collected items to Poland to help the Ukrainian refugees arriving there daily.