The Community Clubboard at Calhoun stands as a testament to the power of student leadership and service. Established in 2018, this dedicated group of Calhoun High School students supports the Community Cupboard, a food pantry serving over 145 local Bellmore-Merrick families, including an average of 50 families on a bi-weekly basis.

“The Clubboard organizes community service events, markets initiatives, and inspires younger students to continue its mission of positive community impact,” explained faculty advisor and assistant principal Mark Melkonian.

To date, the club boasts 34 members, including four leaders who are siblings of its founding members, ensuring its sustainability for years to come.

Central to the Clubboard’s efforts are partnerships with generous donors such as St. Demetrios Church’s Barbara Philoptochos chapter, led by Patty Sarantakos, and the Merrick Community Nursery School, directed by Christine Cicero. These partnerships have been instrumental in organizing food drives and restocking the pantry. Within Calhoun High School, the Clubboard collaborates with groups like the Captains Academy, Leadership classes, and National Honor Society to host seasonal food drives, Valentine’s Day basket donations, and volunteer opportunities for students to earn community service hours while making a difference.

Among the exceptional leaders of the Clubboard are Niko Sarantakos, Samantha Chaiken, and Jack Gavnoudias, all seniors at Calhoun High School.

“These students exemplify dedication, advocacy, and leadership,” added Melkonian. “They have demonstrated the value of volunteerism and the profound impact of service, both within themselves and their community. Their leadership ensures the continued success of the Clubboard and the families it serves.”

•Niko Sarantakos: A key figure in the Community Clubboard, Sarantakos has led numerous food drives through his involvement with St. Barbara’s Philoptochos, ensuring consistent support for families in need. He is also a youth leader in his Greek Orthodox Church, strengthening connections between the church and the local community.

“By volunteering for Bellmore Merrick Community Cupboard, I feel I am making a meaningful difference in the lives of people in my community who are experiencing hunger and insecurity concerning food,” noted Sarantakos. “I have been part of this organization since my first year at Calhoun, but I have been familiar with it long before that. My brother was an original member and was instrumental in creating the partnership with our church’s philanthropic group. This led to a true dedication of time and effort to helping the Cupboard. That inspired me to do the same.Through my involvement, I had the opportunity to lead food drives, coordinate with donors, shop for supplies, stock shelves and collaborate with my peers to make a meaningful impact for our community. Volunteering for the Cupboard has shown me how fortunate I am, and what a great feeling it is to be able to help other people. I hope to carry this experience with me into college, where I plan to continue supporting charitable organizations and making a positive impact in new communities.”

•Samantha Chaiken: An active leader in student government and other clubs, Chaiken plays a crucial role in organizing and facilitating the Captain’s Academy food drives and volunteer efforts at the pantry. Her ability to bring people together showcases the true spirit of service.

“The community cupboard has given me more than I ever thought a club would,” explained Chaiken. “I joined the club freshman year to see how it all works and I was really touched by what the cupboard did for so many in our community. As I have volunteered each month I have been reminded of values we sometimes forget in the craziness of life to appreciate everything I have and the smallest things you do in life make the biggest difference! I have thought of community service not as an act for college and service hours but for my own good. Doing service allows me to give back to those who deserve to have just as much as any other person in our community and I’m able to send love by volunteering my time for just an hour sometimes less to change someone’s day. I have learned life lessons I will forever be grateful for, and I continue to do service beyond these four walls of Calhoun and in my life.”

•Jack Gavnoudias: Following in the footsteps of his older brother, a founding member of the Clubboard, he has embraced a leadership role, working alongside Chaiken to plan and execute food drives and volunteer opportunities that leave a lasting impact on the community.

“I’ve always had a soft spot for helping those in need and thought this would be an effective way of helping,” explained Gavnoudias. “The first event I worked at with this club was organizing the food pantry and setting up bags of food containing various high demand goods to be given to families in need. Throughout the process I realized that this activity was not something that I wanted to do once for the club, instead it was something that I wanted to participate in continuously and even expand. And that, I did. Throughout the years, the community cupboard has taught me so much about not only the importance of community service, but also the importance of teamwork and collaboration. Working with others in the club made things fun and more efficient. Something I learned about myself would be the fact that this club made me want to do community service beyond my high school years into college. In college I plan to join community service clubs and perform volunteer work in which I can help others in various ways. Something I learned about my classmates was that this club was something they enjoy doing along with myself. Volunteerism has proven to be very significant in the changing of people's lives which is why I believe that volunteering to help others is so important.”