Di Battista Family Delivers Food to Frontline Workers
Last Thursday, long time CDS family Paula and Anthony Di Battista and their three daughters: Breanna ’20, Niccola ’23 and Ilaria ’25 joined their cousins in preparing, packaging and delivering 320 meals for frontline staff at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto. This hospital holds special significance for their family and this delivery was their way of giving back.
Paula is volunteering with an organization called Pasta It Forward, a new initiative to feed those in need during COVID-19 and launched by a friend’s daughter who never expected it would turn into a full time endeavour. Volunteers have been making and delivering meals to hospital frontline workers, long term care facilities, homeless shelters and many others since the outbreak started. As of last week, they have prepared and delivered more than 41,000 meals. “When our family heard about what she was doing, we reached out immediately to support this initiative,” said Paula.
For the Battista’s, the opportunity to support the healthcare heroes at Mt. Sinai was especially meaningful. “This hospital holds a special place in our hearts. All nine of the children on my husband’s side of the family were born there. Of the nine, five were high-risk pregnancies. Of those, one was an emergency C-section born four weeks early. One needed heart surgery at two-days old. Another was premature and spent three months in the NICU. If it wasn’t for the care we all received at Mt. Sinai Hospital, we are not sure what the outcomes would have been.”
“We are blessed to have such great hospitals so close by,” says Paula. “We wanted to do this today to say thank you for what they have done for our family in the past, and for putting their lives at risk working on the frontlines to save others during these challenging times.”
Last Thursday, the entire Di Battista family got to experience what Paula has been experiencing for sometime now - the joy of helping others during COVID-19 and saying thank you to these essential workers.
Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
13415 Dufferin Street King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
