For over a decade Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School has organized an annual canned food drive benefiting Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. All donations go towards re-stocking our Hope Distribution Center warehouse, which supplies food to all seven of our Family Support Center food pantries and the Resource Bus program that serves our rural communities.
This year’s 14th annual food drive brought in 77,257 canned food items. Students were especially intentional with the items they brought in, referencing Catholic Charities’ priority food selection list and contacting stores directly to ensure the items of greatest need were in stock. Teachers also teamed up to fill 85 hygiene kits with toiletries that will be distributed to families and individuals in need.
Due to the rising costs of groceries, supply chain disruptions, a decrease in donations, and other post-pandemic effects, our food pantries have experienced a critical food drought. Additionally, our food pantries have seen an extraordinary increase in demand (up 25% since February 2022).
“Saints truly put meaning behind their name each year with this canned food drive, and we could not be more grateful.”
— Annette Bentzinger, Parish, School and Community Outreach Coordinator
Click here to learn how you can help us fight food insecurity.
