Service
Second Harvest Canned Food Drive
Dominican Annual Canned Food Drive Collection Totals 67,178 for Second Harvest Food Bank
Monday, March 8, when the last donation was counted for St. Mary’s Dominican High School’s 22nd annual canned food drive, it was a record-breaking 67,178 donations for Second Harvest Food Bank. Coordinated through the school’s Office of Dominican Catholic Identity, the competition was inspired by the theme song, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” from the animated film, Toy Story. “You’ve Got a Friend in Dominican” was the rallying theme and each class level was assigned a character from the film. Seniors took 1st place with donations totaling 16,413. Freshmen were in 2nd place with 12,119; 8th Grade, 3rd place, 12,036; Sophomores, 4th place, 9,944; and Juniors, 5th place, 5,596. Student donations totaled 56,108, surpassing its goal of 25,000. Alumnae joined this year’s drive, collecting 11,070 that went beyond their 5,000 goal. “Recognizing the extraordinary needs in our community, the St. Mary’s Dominican High School community responded and surpassed previous canned food drives’ goals,” said school President Dr. Cynthia A. Thomas. “This annual drive is one of several projects that reflect our school’s pillars of community and
30 | The Torch - 2020-2021
service. Dominican students and alumnae are called to embody those commitments. Their collaboration demonstrated in an impactful way how they answered that call.” For sophomore Isabelle Tran, it was the first time she served as the Campus Ministry Service Officer, a position she said allowed her to get more involved not only with her grade, “but with my school as a whole. My fellow sisters here at Dominican were already aware how important canned food drives are, but we were even more motivated this year after seeing the strain that COVID-19 has put on our Southern Louisiana community. We knew this year had to be the best that it could possibly be.” Since 2011, Dominican has donated 187,920 pounds of food to Second Harvest Food Bank. On average, 500,000 people receive food from Second Harvest Food Bank every month – double the number they served before the pandemic. “We are so excited about this huge effort by the ladies of Dominican, which will help thousands in our community,” said Ms. Natalie Jayroe, President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank. “As an affiliated ministry of the Archdiocese, it’s especially meaningful to us when another partner in the Church delivers such an impactful gift to those we serve.”