A food drive held by the Students in Action Club (SIA) will collect non-perishable foods to donate to St. Anthony’s Church. Food such as rice, pasta, sugar, peanut butter, canned goods, and flour are all acceptable for donation.

“I served in St. Anthony’s kitchen a few years ago and I want to help out again by donating,” sophomore Mila Kane said. “This is something that takes almost no time out of my day but I know that it is helping so many people,”

This year St. Anthony’s will serve more than 2,000,000 pounds of food. 75% of that food is donated or provided free by community partners such as students, churches, corporate groups, and volunteers, according to The Archdiocese of San Francisco.

“Food insecurity is such a pressing issue in the San Francisco community and there are many service organizations — like St. Anthony’s Church — dedicated to addressing the issue,” senior and SIA Club President Julia Kearney said. “These organizations, however, do not have the means to do it all themselves — so SIA helps St. Anthony by offering a food drive — and making room for students to meaningfully help,”

Food drives help food charities keep their shelves stocked. They also help raise awareness about hunger in your community and encourage others to help. Hunger affects every community, but many people don’t realize it, according to Feeding America. 

“Donating food is a great way that I can give back to my community and do my part,” junior Scarlett Farr said. “Supporting local soup kitchens and food drives helps community members in need,”

Everyone who donates will receive ‘spirit points’ if they take a photo of the bag of food, put a post-it on it with the year of your graduating class, and send a photo in, according to an email sent by senior Sofia Karti. 

“During the holiday season it is especially impactful to donate food so families can enjoy traditional holiday meals,” Kane said. “I really appreciate that the school organizes these ways for us to help out.”