Food Drive Breaks New Record: 100 Boxes Collected
November 25, 2009

As of Tuesday evening, the bare shelves of the St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry were completely full of food thanks to the generosity of the Saint Patrick High School student body. Over 100 boxes of food were collected for both the St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry and the Irving Park Food Pantry, the most food ever collected during St. Pat’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.

Drive coordinator Ann Perez and campus minister Rich Raho were overwhelmed with joy at the sight of all the donations. Perez could barely find enough help to sort all of the items for their pre-Thanksgiving delivery yesterday and today. “The students did such a fantastic job,” said Perez. “I’m proud of the mature concern that they are showing for members of their larger community.”

Difficult job and economic realities for many Chicagoans has placed an extra strain on local food pantries increasing the need for donations more than ever. This year, St. Pat’s decided to add the Irving Park Food Pantry to their list of recipients because of the close proximity to the school’s campus. “We are hoping that our efforts to step-up service in the neighborhoods that our students are most familiar with instills in them an understanding that they can give back to the world around them no matter where they are, not just at St. Pat’s,” said Raho.

Students who stayed into the evening on Tuesday to help sort and deliver the St. Vincent De Paul donations were juniors William Brock (St. William), Carlos Esturain (Scammon), Jack Fagan (Canty), Israel Hernandez (St. Hyacinth), Jack Platt (St. Andrew), and John Trampas (St. Francis Borgia), and freshman Gino Pintore (Sayre Language Academy). Several students are also busy promoting the school’s annual toy drive which supports the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation Toy Drive.