JC’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive collected over 4,700 items which then were donated to various charitable organizations such as Bel Air United Methodist Church’s Family Food Distribution and St. Francis de Sales’ Food Pantry.

Service Learning Coordinator Kate Webb said, “We were able to totally fill the box truck sent by Bel Air United Methodist and help the food pantry at St. Francis to restock a large number of their most needed and used items.”

Students were asked to bring in various items based on their grade levels. Freshmen were asked to bring in peanut butter and jelly and breakfast items. Sophomores were asked to bring in pasta items and pasta sauce. Juniors were asked to bring in canned soups/canned meals and canned tuna. Seniors were asked to bring in canned vegetables and fruits along with dessert items.

Ms. Webb said that the different grade levels were asked to bring in specific things because “when I spoke with the donation sites during the planning stages of this year’s drive, they let us know that there are certain items that they use a lot of and tend to run out of quickly. We wanted to place an emphasis on those items to help them meet the needs of the community.”

For some friendly competition, every advisory competed against each other to see who could bring in the most items and if they won, they would receive donuts/breakfast from the Campus Ministry office. The top three advisories were Mr. Grzanna, Mrs. Collins/Ms. Stellmon, and Mr. Schick.

Members of the Romero Service Club and other student volunteers helped Ms. Webb and Campus Minister Ken Goedeke deliver the collected items.

Mrs. Webb said, “While helping to deliver the items, they also had the opportunity to meet with volunteers and learn a little bit more about the work that is done at both locations as well.”
Annabel Everett said, “Helping with the food drive was really fulfilling for me because I enjoyed being able to help families in need. I am so grateful for the opportunity to volunteer because there can always be more helpers in the world.”

Ms. Webb said the importance of the food drive participation is that “food insecurity is a critical issue and one that many in our community are facing on a daily basis. Programs like Bel Air United Methodist and St. Francis play a big role in meeting that need. Bel Air United Methodist’s program alone feeds hundreds of families at each event they hold.”

Ms. Webb wants to thank everyone for the participation in the food drive. She said, “We are very appreciative of the support the drive received from students, parents, and faculty and staff and are looking forward to building on this success next year.”