The Gonzaga Prep community outdid itself ... again! Students, families, teachers, staff, and friends of Prep stepped up, surpassing last year's total Food Drive poundage by some 20,000 pounds, bringing in a whopping 79 tons of food that immediately went out to the greater Spokane area.
In her remarks at the end of Mass on delivery day, Francis Chau `11, service coordinator, said:
"Over the last several weeks, so much has been given. Food, money, time. Teachers have given of their instructional time to motivate and sort, you have given of your time to collect and deliver, parents are stepping up to drive, the food drive committee planned an epic con, picked up turkeys and called families, community partners have nominated hundreds of families in need … and of course, through it all, we brought in more than 150,000 pounds of food and enough money to give over 200 families a turkey and a pie.
Collectively, our food will go to more than 2,000 people. And we know that a food drive won’t strip many of these people from the burdens of poverty or pull them out of tough times, but it does offer hope, relief, and a momentary reminder that they have not been forgotten. And we receive the same hope, or at least I do – that we belong to each other."
Some organizations receiving food shared their gratitude:
"On behalf of everyone at the Ronald McDonald House Charities INW, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your class's generous donation. Thanks to your support, we were able to restock our pantry shelves with snacks and goods to help support 34 families who call RMHC INW their home away from home. We deeply appreciate being a recipient of Gonzaga Prep’s annual amazing service-learning opportunity. It takes a village to care for our families and we thrilled to have you as community care partner." —Ronald McDonald House Charities INW
"This is a huge service for the Inchelium folks. ... Many of the people here have trouble affording to get enough food. Besides that, it's a great opportunity for people to volunteer. Guys team up carrying box loads from the trucks to the community center where others arrange the food into different "departments." When things are set up, the green light comes on, and your generosity goes out to all the various households. It's an important yearly event for the volunteers, for the recipients, for the Inchelium community. —Confederated Colville Tribes
CLASS TOTALS
1. 16,489 lbs. - Mrs. Decker's AP Physics (repeat winner!)
2. 13,533 lbs. - Mr. Dougherty's AP U.S. Government
3. 10,722 lbs. - Mrs. Hall's Art I (freshmen!)
4. 9,321 lbs. - Mrs. Round's AP Biology
5. 7,898 lbs. - Mrs. League's Psych 101
FRESHMEN
5,696 lbs. - Mr. Smale's Debate
2,938 lbs. - Mr. Whetzel's Biology
2,905 lbs. - Mr. Manfred's Algebra I
Collectively, our food will go to more than 2,000 people. And we know that a food drive won’t strip many of these people from the burdens of poverty or pull them out of tough times, but it does offer hope, relief, and a momentary reminder that they have not been forgotten. And we receive the same hope, or at least I do – that we belong to each other."
Some organizations receiving food shared their gratitude:
"On behalf of everyone at the Ronald McDonald House Charities INW, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your class's generous donation. Thanks to your support, we were able to restock our pantry shelves with snacks and goods to help support 34 families who call RMHC INW their home away from home. We deeply appreciate being a recipient of Gonzaga Prep’s annual amazing service-learning opportunity. It takes a village to care for our families and we thrilled to have you as community care partner." —Ronald McDonald House Charities INW
"This is a huge service for the Inchelium folks. ... Many of the people here have trouble affording to get enough food. Besides that, it's a great opportunity for people to volunteer. Guys team up carrying box loads from the trucks to the community center where others arrange the food into different "departments." When things are set up, the green light comes on, and your generosity goes out to all the various households. It's an important yearly event for the volunteers, for the recipients, for the Inchelium community. —Confederated Colville Tribes
CLASS TOTALS
1. 16,489 lbs. - Mrs. Decker's AP Physics (repeat winner!)
2. 13,533 lbs. - Mr. Dougherty's AP U.S. Government
3. 10,722 lbs. - Mrs. Hall's Art I (freshmen!)
4. 9,321 lbs. - Mrs. Round's AP Biology
5. 7,898 lbs. - Mrs. League's Psych 101
FRESHMEN
5,696 lbs. - Mr. Smale's Debate
2,938 lbs. - Mr. Whetzel's Biology
2,905 lbs. - Mr. Manfred's Algebra I