Holidays bring a lot of extra expenses for families. With the added pressure of a pandemic, every bit of help can be even more useful.

That’s why two of Panther Valley Elementary’s newest employees decided to give families a hand entering the holiday season.

“We wanted to be able to provide them with a traditional Thanksgiving. Families might have put that to the side - it could be either get your everyday essentials or get Thanksgiving,” said Nicole Pollinger.

Pollinger and Gabriel Rosanelli, mentors with the brand-new Carbon Corps program, coordinated a distribution of Thanksgiving meals and winter coats for families who wanted to take advantage of it.

They arranged for 50 families to receive frozen turkeys, stuffing and all the canned goods for a Thanksgiving dinner.

About 25 families were scheduled to pick up their dinners at Panther Valley Elementary on Tuesday.

Pollinger and Rosanelli then planned to hit the road on Wednesday to deliver the rest directly to families who were unable to make it to the school.

Carbon Corps was created this year through AmeriCorps and the United Way of Greater Lehigh Valley. There are CarbonCorps mentors in Panther Valley, Palmerton and Weatherly.

Organizing coat and food drives isn’t a standard part of the job description.

On a regular day, the mentors are meeting with different students. They discuss academics and life in general to build relationships and get kids more engaged in school.

“They’re able to connect and reach out to families,” said Robert Palazzo, Panther Valley Elementary School principal.

Doing something more for the community was something they wanted to do from the beginning of the program.

Over several weeks they sought donations from grocery stores and local businesses. Redner’s and Walmart each gave them gift cards to go shopping. Koch’s Turkey Farm donated nearly $1,000 worth of frozen turkeys.

AMETEK, which donated some of the money to help bring the Carbon Corps program to Panther Valley, also made a donation so they could go shopping.

The school already had coats ready to donate. Members of the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors Association conduct a coat drive each holiday season, benefiting schools including Panther Valley.

Kids usually need a new winter coat every year. They can easily cost $30, even at discount stores. For families with multiple children, that can add up.

With dozens of coats to choose from, kids could choose a coat that they were excited about.

“I think it’s a great idea, I hope to see it back next year. It’s going to help so many parents. Winter coats are so expensive,” said Jessica Boerner of Coaldale, who got new coats for her children during the donation.