While the holiday season is a special time for families and friends to gather, give gifts and share meals, one Goff Middle School student is making sure that no one feels forgotten.

Seventh grader Jacob Plonka recently completed his fifth annual homemade holiday card collection. What started as a small act of kindness and a way to honor his great-grandmother who was living at Teresian House, has grown into a district-wide community service project.

Plonka sent letters to each of the East Greenbush schools and exceeded his goal by collecting more than 1,100 cards. The cards were delivered last week to residents of Teresian House and the Rensselaer County Department of Aging, which distributes the cards to seniors in facilities it operates.

“It just makes me feel good,” said Plonka. “I feel like I’m helping people who need it.”

Special thanks to everyone who contributed holiday cards to this community service project!