Our Lady of Grace fifth graders up for a challenge in school’s annual food drive

Submitted

Elementary students at Our Lady of Grace Catholic School in Noblesville are collecting food, diapers, and baby wipes as part of their annual charity drive to benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Noblesville.

This competitive school tradition has been observed for more than 10 years, always coordinated by the fifth-grade class. This year’s fifth graders are challenged to collect more items than the previous year’s fifth graders, who were credited with donating more than 30,000 items to the pantry.

This year’s donations will be loaded onto two trucks outside the school at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13. Students will accompany the trucks to St. Vincent de Paul and assist with unloading and stacking items in the pantry for distribution to those in need.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 1391 Greenfield Ave., Noblesville, provides food, clothing, furniture, and emergency budget relief to Hamilton County residents in need of assistance. The pantry distributes food three times every week: Wednesday morning, Wednesday afternoon, and Saturday morning.

Last year, St. Vincent de Paul provided food to more than 72,000 individuals through the Food Pantry (Value: $1,596,387). The organization is looking forward to expanding its outreach and is planning a Capital Campaign to construct a custom food pantry adjacent to the current building.