Cincinnati, Ohio, March 5, 2018 – The entire Saint Ursula Academy school community joined forces to provide assistance to area families in need through food and supply donations. The school’s recent food drive, called D.R.I.V.E., is one way the students, faculty and staff are making an impact in the Greater Cincinnati community.
D.R.I.V.E. stands for Donate, Respond, Invest, Value and Educate, important components as Saint Ursula teaches its students to develop broader community views, build relationships and meet the needs of our neighbors.
This food D.R.I.V.E. started in February and lasted for several weeks. During this drive, each advisory, which is similar to a homeroom group, was matched with several households to gather the food or personal care items they may need. SUA worked in collaboration with local non-profits in order to match up the advisories with households in need.
Saint Ursula Academy students, teachers and staff collected nutritious, shelf stable food and monetary donations, which will assist the families with purchasing fresh food items. The food collection supported specific Cincinnati families identified through St. Vincent DePaul Society, Mercy Neighborhood Ministries, Episcopal Retirement Services, and Roll Hill Community Center.
As the drive came to an end, the senior students, along with faculty and staff, packed and delivered the donations personally to 180 individual households and agencies.
“This is different than our food drives in the past because this is the first time we are combining direct and indirect service opportunities for our students: indirect by way of the collections in rooms through supporting agencies, direct by way of personal delivery of items,” said Rachel Kemper, Saint Ursula Community Service Learning Director and D.R.I.V.E. organizer.
Saint Ursula and its students want to make an impact and help be part of the solution to childhood poverty and hunger, which is among the highest in the nation. It’s the school’s mission to educate and empower students to build a better world.
Saint Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. Saint Ursula welcomes students from more than 90 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. The Academy is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of St. Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. The Class of 2017 earned college scholarships totaling more than $21-million.
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