By PAM SCHIFF

For East graduate Emily Sanitas, giving back to the community is a way of life. She does her acts of generosity to be kind, to be helpful and to be impactful.

This year, she had set a personal goal of collecting over one thousand blankets to be distributed to the homeless – exceeding her collection from the previous year.

She not only reached her goal, she was able to exceed it, collecting 1,018 blankets in all.

“I’m a true believer in the strength of teamwork, and I have found it’s almost impossible to reach our biggest goals without the support of a good team. I’m proud to call Emily a friend and I’ll do anything I can to help her reach her goal of changing the world. Her wildly successful blanket drive helped the homeless in our community stay warm for the second year in a row,” said Councilwoman Nicole Renzulli.

Emily created a video thanking everyone who was helpful.

“It was a whole team effort, we had so many people involved this year, including Nicole, Matt Reilly, Steve Paiva, Barbara Ann Fenton Fung, Mayors Hopkins and Fung, the Thirsty Beavers locations, Ed Brady, MAE organization, Sean O’Rourke at the Providence Rescue Mission,” said Emily.

Her brother (Zachary), mother and grandmother were also really supportive Emily said in the video.

She went on to thank the staff at the MAE Organization for helping coordinate the drive and distribute to Providence Rescue Mission and other shelters.

“Emily is a joy in all aspects of her life. She always puts others first, and Cranston is a better city because of her and her efforts,” said Allan Fung.

Working alongside Emily was Thirsty Beaver co-owner, and big time supporter, Ed Brady, who worked closely with Emily to ensure a successful donation.

“Keep being the light, we are so proud of you, and to see the community rally behind you, thank you to everyone who contributed to make this a success,” said Brady.

Emily is already planning a special event for the hot summer months.

“This was for a great cause. I love helping people in need,” she said.

To learn more about the MAE organization and what they do in the Cranston community, check them out at www.maeorg.org.