Cincinnati, Ohio, Thursday, November 7, 2013 – St. Ursula Academy students recently collected 27,000 pounds of food which will be donated to Greater Cincinnati area non-profit organizations committed to feeding the hungry.
At St. Ursula Academy, it’s part of the mission for students to work to “build a better world”. During the month of October, the In-School Service Event (ISSE) club representatives encouraged classmates, faculty, and staff to donate canned food, cereal, canned protein, and cash for the school’s annual Canned Food Drive to benefit those in need in our community.
This effort, coordinated by the Community Service Learning Office, under the guidance of Mrs. Rachel Kemper and Mrs. Peggy Platz, is the largest annual event sponsored by the group. Student leaders Darby Schwarz, Katherine Kadon, and Sophia Settle, all of Hyde Park, worked in advance of the event to design and print flyers and motivate students to participate. They even offered a special incentive of a catered lunch to the advisory classroom with the highest number of donations. Students were encouraged to ask neighbors and friends to contribute as well.
In the end, students collected 599 boxes of food and nearly $1,400 in cash donations. On Halloween, a large truck was loaded with the donations to be delivered to St. Vincent DePaul, Mercy Neighborhood Ministries, Madisonville Education and Assistance Center, Little Sisters of the Poor, and Open Door Ministries. All of these organizations will use the food donations for assistance with holiday meals.
When asked about her participation in the Canned Food Drive for the past two years, Senior Darby Schwarz said, “"I feel that the Canned Food Drive is an extremely important event because there is so much local poverty and hunger issues that some people are unaware of. Most of the time, people think of poverty on a global or national level, but there is a huge need here in our own city. I am glad that I had the opportunity to raise awareness about these local issues and to lead our school in the fight against hunger for the second year in a row."
Junior Sophia Settle realized that Canned Food Drive not only benefits hungry neighbors, but St. Ursula students as well. “We are not only meeting the physical need of bringing in food for others, but we are providing spiritual nourishment for the students of St. Ursula by teaching charity.”
The local need for food was evident for Senior Katherine Kadon. “A St. Vincent de Paul worker said that our 599 boxes of food, which were divided up for five local pantries, would probably not last to Thanksgiving because the need is so great.”
While the recipients of the food from the Annual Canned Food Drive are the hungry residents of Cincinnati, the impact of the drive was also felt deeply by the St. Ursula students who used this In-School Service Event to further the school’s mission to “build a better world”.
To learn more about St. Ursula Academy, please visit www.saintursula.org.
St. Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. St. Ursula welcomes students from more than 70 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. In 2002 the Academy was 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. 87% of the class of 2013 earned college scholarships totaling more than $20-million.