19,378 Pounds of Food Collected for Local Food Bank
NEW ORLEANS, LA - Lion King efforts at St. Mary's Dominican High School's annual canned food drive roared to a total collection of 20,228 cans of food during their annual one-week food drive. The total equates to 19,378 pounds of food which Second Harvest Food Bank says will provide more than 16,000 meals for families in need across south Louisiana. Dominican's food donation will help feed victims of the recent tornadoes that struck New Orleans East, in addition to Second Harvest's network of agencies across the 23 parishes of south Louisiana.
Students participated in the school's Lion King-themed competition among religion classes to collect the canned goods. Each religion teacher spearheaded one of the seven teams named after characters in the musical: Teams Pumbaa, Rafiki, Nala, Zazu, Timon, Simba, and Mufasa. Daily announcements by these characters gave updates on team efforts and the daily total of cans collected.
This marks the 18th year for Dominican's annual food drive, the largest school food drive in the Greater New Orleans area. Since 2011, Dominican has donated 119,508 pounds of food to Second Harvest.
Second Harvest distributes 28 million meals through a network of 500+ partners and programs across south Louisiana. Second Harvest provides emergency food assistance to 210,000 people annually, including 25,000 seniors each month. The Second Harvest Kids Café program provides daily hot meals to more than 200,000 children annually.
Since 1860, St. Mary's Dominican High School has been a leader of Catholic education in the New Orleans region. The school's 156-year legacy is rooted in the tradition of prayer, study, community and service. These are the pillars of Dominican life and form the foundation for the Dominican student's experience.