Catholic private school, Mount de Sales Academy located in Macon, Georgia is holding its annual canned food drive on campus on Friday, November 17, 2023.

Each year, Mount de Sales Academy holds a food drive on campus to benefit Macon’s St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. Mount de Sales Academy has been helping to stock their shelves for many years and it is an annual Thanksgiving tradition. This year’s goal has been to collect 12,000 cans increasing the collection from 10,000 cans the previous year. Students and faculty work together to fill a box truck that is transported by the school directly to those in need.

Mount de Sales Mercy in Action Coordinator Kim Andrews states, "Through service, our students are able to open their hearts to our community; it allows them to make real connections both with those they serve and their classmates. Service is transformative, opening their eyes to the many ways that they can truly make a difference. The activities that our students participate in allow them to carry out the legacy of our Mercy education, and in doing so they become the hands and feet of Jesus, helping our neighbors as He would have us do. The lesson of serving others becomes, for many, a lifelong mission, instilling in their hearts a compelling desire to reach out and help those in need long after they leave campus.” 

Campus Minister Dr. Gabriel Germann also states, “Some of my favorite moments are when we are serving together. It’s so great to be working side by side with our students and with my fellow teachers. Students really come alive when they have a chance to focus on the presence and needs of other people, and they so often discover that those people (and their classmates) have so much to share with them. Doing service in the community really allows our students to experience it in a new way, opening their eyes to God’s presence in themselves, in their peers, and in the people they meet as they serve. It’s also really powerful for the teachers–I’ve had so many conversations with other teachers about how great it is to spend time with our students, especially those who surprise us as they rise to the challenge and reveal a usually hidden side of themselves as they engage people in the community. It’s good for us to be reminded that our students have so much to offer as well. ”

The Most Reverend Stephen D. Parkes, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah, will join Mount de Sales Academy faculty, staff, and students in this day of service and giving. The cans will be collected, blessed, and distributed in a ceremony that begins at 10:15 AM.