The decibel level was off the charts as 150 children from homeless shelters across the city celebrated Thanksgiving at UFT headquarters on Saturday, Nov. 21, before heading home with new winter jackets, scarves, hats and gloves donated by members and others.

In a hall filled with pumpkins and balloons in autumn colors, exuberant children raced from one exciting activity to another. Boys, their faces painted like their Superman and Batman heroes, dueled with balloon swords while girls deliberated over what color to have their nails painted by the 13 student volunteers from Queens Vocational HS.

“I’m not used to getting manicures,” 8th-grader Mikeisha shyly commented while her 6-year-old sister watched breathlessly as her own tiny nails turned pink.

Jose Gonzalez, a paraprofessional at Teachers Preparatory HS in Brooklyn, was the busiest man in the room as he turned out drawings of action figures like the one of The Flash that he did for Davon. Asked his motivation, Gonzalez said, “because I love kids, I love to draw and I love seeing these kids smile.”

Surveying the joy-filled room that had suddenly gone quiet as children began eating their turkey dinners and assembling their make-your-own sundaes, UFT Vice President for Middle Schools Richard Mantell, the organizer of the second annual UFT Thanksgiving Luncheon, said, “This is an emotional day. It’s really what Thanksgiving is about. It’s why we became educators.”

It’s what motivated Jenn Colona and Alison Duff, the new chapter leaders at PS 192 in Brooklyn, to reach out to students, staff and families in a school campaign that included a penny harvest and a coat drive that brought in 100 new jackets. “We’re a Title I school, which makes this generosity even more meaningful,” they said.

Nia Polanca, a paraprofessional-turned-teacher who was shepherding the youngest children through the activities, said she had volunteered because “I wanted to do something extra, not just donate.”

As he watched 6-year-old Anilan delightedly model her new quilted jacket at the end of the afternoon, Joseph Usatch, the chapter leader of IS 311 in Brooklyn, who had spent three hours in a turkey costume, observed, “This is the best part.”

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Erica Berger