Hundreds of students and their families gathered at Webster School last Saturday for the school’s popular “Breakfast With Santa” event. Organized by the Parent Teacher Participation Association (PTPA), the annual event welcomed students and their families into the school for a buffet-style breakfast and a meet-and-greet with Santa himself.
“It was an all-day IHOP situation.” – Ane Roseborough-Eberhard
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“It was an all-day IHOP situation,” said co-chair of the event Ane Roseborough-Eberhard. “The cooks and aides for Webster came in at 5 in the morning on Saturday to get everything ready that needed to get out on the buffet.”
From fresh eggs and bacon, to pancakes and cereal, there was something to keep all the kids happy.
“We definitely upped the number from last year,” Eberhard said. “There were a lot of grandparents, and older siblings, aunts and uncles. It was a really nice family day.”
In addition to free food, students of Webster school also got to meet with Santa.
“They loved Santa,” said PTPA president Enza Scardigno. An official member of the Santa Association of America, this Santa had a full beard and an authentic suit.
“A lot of the children kept asking me if it would be one of Santa’s helpers or the real, real Santa,” Scardigno said. “And I told them, ‘If you don’t believe me, just pull his beard.’ That poor Santa got his beard pulled all day long.”
There was also a raffle held at the event. Many of the raffled items were donated by sports organizations like the NBA and MLB, and by Sony Music.
Community support
According to Scardigno, Hudson Bread of North Bergen donated 900 rolls for the day. “They were so happy to donate to us,” Scardigno said. “I’m even setting up a class trip for the kids to go to the bakery. They really love kids.” In total, approximately 90 percent of the total food was donated by local business, Eberhard said, many from businesses outside of Weehawken.
“A lot of the businesses were ‘economically-challenged’ this year,” Scardigno said, “which made it hard to get donations. But, a lot of businesses really pitched in and we’re very grateful for that.”
In addition to local businesses, ShopRite donated 28 gallons of milk to the school, Dunkin’ Donuts gave donuts, and many other businesses also contributed.
Giving back
“The only complaint that I had, which I didn’t mind getting, was that there was too much food,” Scardigno said. But, the leftover food did not go to waste.
Scardigno and company donated the food to a local shelter. And with the first snowfall of the year last Saturday, the food came at the perfect time.
“The shelter must have had some 500 people there. They didn’t expect to have that many people, and when we brought the food, they were absolutely blown away,” she said.
Scardigno said that although the huge event is a lot of work, the end result is well worth it.
“It’s a lot of work and it’s a lot of time,” Scardigno said. “But at the end of the day, the kids were so happy and to see the smiles on their faces was worth it. Even Santa left with handfuls of letters and notes in his hands.”
Sean Allocca can be reached at editorial@hudsonreporter.com